Beyblade Lunar Eclipse
by Tigura
Summary: After a recent lunar eclipse, special Holy Beasts emerge from a broken seal. The history behind these strange creatures is unknown, but it's sure to involve Kinomiya Takao and four certain youths in yet another Beyblade adventure... Ep. 8 up
1. Prologue

A flock of birds flew across the deep blue skies that hovered over all of Japan. Down in Tokyo below, people prospered peaceably amongst each other. Cars rode across the city roads. Adults preferred to walk across the sidewalks. Children were playing together, especially one specific game; Beyblade. Their spinning tops attacked one another briskly in the Beystadium they fought in. The kids cheered happily and ecstatically as they enjoyed the 'most popular sport in Japan.'

Meanwhile, in the biggest park of Tokyo, a large gathering of people were there together for some sort of event. On several banners and stickers, it promoted the message, 'Celebrate the Coming of the Lunar Eclipse!' Nearly every citizen came to see this phenomenon. Sitting against a nearby tree was a young brown-haired boy in a white shirt, black vest, brown shorts, and a laptop sitting with him. He had small glasses in his hair and his eyes were hidden from the world under his long bangs of hair. He wore an ecstatic smile as he opened his laptop and aimed the small camera on the side of its monitor toward the disappearing sun. The eclipse was taking effect, and the sun was gradually turning black as coal. The boy pulled down his glasses over his nose and watched the eclipse as his computer recorded the whole thing. The sun, the moon, and the earth dramatically began to align…

_"…It was this day that it happened…"_

Finally, the eclipse was complete. Then suddenly, a large beam of light shone from the aligned sun and moon! The light flew like a shooting star across the skies. It looked as if the beam was guided somewhere in particular. Soon enough, the beam soared over the rocky plains of a mountainous region, its white shadow blanketing over it. The ray of light was heading at the ground at incredible speed. As it neared inevitable impact over the earth, its shadow shone over a strange symbol of a roaring beast embedded into it. The beam was drawn to this marked plain. Finally, in a great flash of light, the beam struck the symbol! A great shockwave of white light flew across the land, breaking every mountain or every bit of evolved rock formations in its path. Dramatically, the light dissipated. There was a huge crater in the ground that looked bottomless. Lightning sparked around the gigantic hole, and strange growling was heard from deep inside it. There was no other sound besides the growling from underground. Then, after a few moments, thousands of spirits flew out the hole! They flew over the monstrous crater they came out of. They looked like they were celebrating their freedom from deep in the Earth. There were a myriad of spirits flying about until one flew by with a hideous and frightening roar…

**_Beyblade Lunar Eclipse_**

**_Episode 1: "Prologue"_**

The darkness of night shadowed the city below. There were several lights from light poles and buildings large and small. There were still people out on the streets. But, there were also many spirits flying around under the night sky. A couple walked side by side together, hand in hand, under one light pole. Then, suddenly, the bulb that gave off the light suddenly exploded! The couple gasped and looked up. There was an enormous silhouette with large wings under the full moon. Suddenly, the shadowed figure flew downwards at them with a violent shriek! The couple gasped and quickly ran away as it swooped over the streets with a strong wind trailing after it. It was quiet once more. Nothing was moving…

…The running of feet began to echo throughout the dark alleys. A pair of legs quickly dashed past a garbage can, knocking it over. Feminine panting escaped the figure's lips as she ran. Right behind her, two other figures pursued her. A gun was aimed at her and the dark alley was given brief light as the bullet flew from that gun. The gunshot pierced through the cloak the pursued figure was wearing and turned a corner. The two figures took that same direction, but they found no one around. Whoever it was they chased after, she disappeared. It was a dead end, and there were no doors of any kind on the brick walls. There was no way she could be hiding there. Defeated, the two mysterious figures ran off elsewhere. After they left, the silhouetted girl stepped out of the shadows with no logical explanation. It was as if she could cloak herself in darkness. She panted wearily and staggered off to her next destination…if she had one.

The girl looked out from the alley to the empty streets of Tokyo. Alone and afraid, she limped out into the open as drops of water gradually fell upon her. Giving in to exhaustion, she quickly collapsed hard into the sidewalk. The light from a light pole flickered violently, either hiding the girl away or revealing her to the cruel world around her. Then, someone stepped in front of her. The girl looked up to see a silhouetted figure under an umbrella hovering over her. Then, she dropped her head into the wet floor under her. The light from the pole then began to glisten along with hope's brilliant radiance…

_"Kyouju!"_

In front of a glowing laptop screen, the same young boy with the brown hair and hidden eyes looked up in surprise, yelping. He calmed down and looked up to see a young female adolescent. She had brown eyes, spiky brown hair, an orange shirt with a crescent moon symbol and a star in the middle of it, a jacket with a lighter shade of red, and a hot pink skirt. "Oh, Hiromi!" Kyouju gasped.

"Didn't you hear me calling you?" Hiromi pouted. "You spend way too much time in that laptop. I might as well take it away."

"Oh no! Don't do that!"

Hiromi grinned mischievously, "I'm just kidding."

Under the deep blue sky, Hiromi then sat down on the black bench Kyouju was already sitting on and looked at the glowing monitor. "What are you doing anyway?" she asked.

"I was starting a virtual diary," Kyouju replied. "Did you read my first entry?"

"Sure. You're talking about the lunar eclipse from yesterday."

Then, Hiromi turned her back on Kyouju and crossed her arms, twitching angrily. "And _he_ was supposed to take me to the park to see it. And did he? No! I had to come to the park all by myself! I'm gonna get him for this!"

Kyouju chuckled uneasily, "Who?"

Laughter caught both their attention. Hiromi and Kyouju looked across the city streets to see two kids battling with Beyblades over the sidewalk. Kyouju smiled, "At least there are still things that are normal."

Hiromi looked questionably and murmured, "Um, shouldn't they Beyblade away from the street?"

"Huh? Ahh!"

Kyouju shut his laptop and stood from the bench in a panic. "Hey, kids! You shouldn't be playing near the street!" he cried. Both kids looked over to Kyouju, not paying attention as one Beyblade hit the other out on the street. And at that moment, a car was heading right for it! "Oh no!" one kid cried. Hiromi and Kyouju gasped as the car threatened to crush the spinning top. Then, suddenly, one silver-colored Beyblade with sharp blades within the attack ring soared through the air and knocked the blade out of the street and into the kid's hand. Then, it turned around in blinding speed to avoid getting crushed by the passing car itself and leapt up into someone's hand. "The streets are not the place to Beyblade, all right?" Hiromi and Kyouju looked to their left to see the savior with a familiar voice and gasped simultaneously. Together, they saw the hero's black shirt, red-orange jacket with fire markings around the edges, navy blue pants, black fingerless gloves, spiky blue hair, brown eyes, and a red and blue hat wore backwards. "TAKAO!" Hiromi and Kyouju exclaimed. The young adolescent looked over to the right and gasped once he set his eyes over them. Without a second thought, he quickly ran off with a trail of smoke following his tracks. Hiromi gasped incredulously while a big drop of sweat fell over Kyouju's head. "That…was random," he murmured.

Hiromi pouted angrily, "Why that…! How DARE he run away like that!"

Upon the girl's scream, Kyouju jumped away with a nervous chuckle.

As he walked down the sidewalk, Kinomiya Takao desperately tried to catch his breath. He looked back and moaned, "Geez, _Hiromi_ had to be there. I can't face her right now." The young boy sighed and steered himself into a dojo in the sheltering part of Tokyo, 'Kinomiya Dojo.' He looked around his foreign setting and walked toward the left side. There, he found someone kneeling down to the small pool that was in front of the dojo boardwalk. With feminine humming in the background, the soft wind carried this girl's long black mane. Then, the humming stopped and the young girl looked over to see Takao walking to her, her aquamarine eyes sparkling magnificently. The girl stood up in her tan-colored shirt, red shorts, and a yellow blanket with triangle symbols on it tied around her upper body. "Welcome back, Takao-san," she greeted.

Takao took his hand behind his head and chuckled. "Not a lot of people call me that. But, just 'Takao' is fine, really."

"Very well. I will call you…'Takao.'"

"That reminds me. What do I call _you_?"

"I don't know. All I remember is…'LUNA.'"

"'Luna' is a nice name. Why not use that one?"

The girl looked at Takao strangely and tilted her head at him. "Why must you want to name everything? The sky doesn't need a name, does it?" she said.

Takao shook his head. "You are a strange girl. But, anyway…well…things and people need names."

"Very well. I will be known as 'Luna.'"

"Then, it's settled!"

"What is that in your hand?"

Takao looked in his right hand to see he still held his silver-colored Beyblade. "Oh, this is…a Beyblade," the young boy replied wearily.

"What's a…Beyblade?" Luna wondered.

"Well, since you don't know your real name, it's no surprise you don't this either. Beyblade is a sport where two people battle with spinning tops. The last blade still spinning is the winner."

Pointing at the blade parts, Takao continued his explanation. "The Beyblade is made up of five parts: the Bit Chip, the Attack Ring, the Weight Disk, the Spin Gear, and the Blade Base. These parts can be customized with similar parts to make the blade better, as long as it's legal. Some parts even have special gimmicks it can use in battle. See the blades along the Attack Ring? Once the blade is hit in such a way, the blades will open and add a bit more attack power in the ring itself. You understand?"

Luna nodded, "Yes. It sounds…interesting."

"Think so? Heh, most girls around here don't like this game, even a certain _someone_ at one point."

* * *

"ACHOO!" 

As she and Kyouju walked the sidewalks of Tokyo to Kinomiya Dojo, Hiromi sneezed immediately. "Feeling ill?" Kyouju wondered.

"No way. I was feeling fine this morning," she replied.

* * *

Still looking at Takao's blade, Luna pointed to the Bit Chip on top of it. "That chip there doesn't seem to have a real purpose," she said. 

"Yeah, _some_ Bit Chips are there for decoration, but mine is _special_," Takao replied.

"Can I see?"

Takao gladly handed his Beyblade to Luna for her to look at the Bit Chip. On it, she saw a picture of a ferocious blue dragon. Her eyes widened as she continued staring at it. "_Seiryuu…_"

"What's that?" Takao exclaimed in surprise.

"TAKAO!"

POW! Hiromi suddenly appeared and punched Takao over his head while Kyouju looked from a distance in fright! "OW! What was that for!" Takao cried, rubbing over his head.

Hiromi came at his face and exclaimed, "You think you can just appear out of nowhere as if nothing happened! Have you forgotten what you did to me! Some friend you are!"

"Look, I would've called earlier, but…I was busy."

After he said that, Hiromi looked behind him to notice Luna still looking at his Beyblade. "Hey! Who is _this!_" she exclaimed.

"Well, uh…" Takao tried to say.

"You lech! How could you keep her a secret from me! I hate you!"

"Hiromi, I just met her yesterday! Let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain! I understand what's going on perfectly well!"

While they were arguing, a mystified Luna continued to stare at the blue dragon. Then, she involuntarily dropped the Beyblade onto the ground before she passed out. After she fell, both Takao and Hiromi noticed and gasped simultaneously, "Oh no! Help her!"

Inside Takao's room in the dojo, Luna was sleeping in Takao's bed with a wet towel over her forehead. As she rested, Takao, Hiromi, and Kyouju watched over her. "So, you found her unconscious yesterday?" Kyouju said.

"That's right," Takao nodded. "She must've been sick. She was wearing nothing but a dirty brown cloak when I found her. So, I gave her some of my old clothes to wear."

"And she doesn't know her name or where she came from or anything?" Hiromi added.

"No. But, she did react when she saw Seiryuu," Takao answered.

Kyouju had the Beyblade Takao had before and examined it carefully. "This is a first for you, Takao. I gave you this new Beyblade, **_Dragoon Eclipse_**, three days ago, but it still looks like it has never been used." Takao looked away solemnly and sighed, and Kyouju and Hiromi stared after him in curiosity. "Takao?"

Takao replied gravely, "I've made up my mind. I think it's about time for me…to quit Beyblading for good."

Kyouju exclaimed, "WHAT!"

"Yeah. I think it's about that time."

Takao managed to crack a smile and laughed heartily. "It's no big deal! Let someone else be champion this time around!" As Takao laughed, both Hiromi and Kyouju stared at him in complete disbelief. Even Hiromi thought to herself, "_Takao_…quit _Beyblade_?"

* * *

On the opposite side of the Earth, night blanketed over the empty streets of New York City. As littered newspapers were blown across the sidewalks, faint cheering was heard from outside a large stadium that had light beaming from its windows. 

Inside, the cheering swelled up as young children and adolescents alike stood from their seats in excitement. In the middle of the filled stands of the stadium walls, there was a Beyblade arena with a single man wearing a black bandanna and black clothing underneath a red T-shirt standing before it. With a microphone in hand, he exclaimed to the crowd. "It is the final match of New York City's Regional Tournament! I, Blader DJ, am proud to be your host for this evening! Now, is everyone ready to see how will be named the regional champ!" Immediately, the crowd of children exploded into a collective cheer that shook the entire stadium. Blader DJ continued, "All right then! Here, on my right, is the defending regional champion, our very own **_Mizuhara Max_**!" As the crowd cheered, a young, blond-haired adolescent with mischievous sapphire eyes walked up to the ring as he cheerfully waved to the crowd, wearing an emerald-colored shirt, reddish-orange jeans, and a red jacket tied around his waist. After he made it to the stadium, Max faintly heard people in the crowd chanting his name. "MAX! MAX! MAX!"

"Yes, this famous Beyblader's reputation precedes him," Blader DJ announced. "He made it all the way to the semifinals in last year's World Championship. It is true that he lost to the former champion, Kinomiya Takao, but he still looks forward in becoming the World Champ this year!"

The crowd enthusiastically cheered once more. But, Max took a brief moment to collect his thoughts. "Takao…a _former_ champion. It's still kinda hard to believe after knowing for this long, but I guess it had to happen some day. But, what kinda Beyblader is this guy to best someone like Takao?"

Blader DJ continued, "Now then, let's meet another Beyblader who's gradually becoming a fan favorite to win this match! He's new to the Beyblading scene, but I've never shown so much hardcore skill from any newbie! Everyone, to my left, give up for **_Alexander Masters_**!"

From the left side of the stadium, Max's opponent made his way to the ring. As the boy's long crimson mane swayed behind him, he wore white jeans and a purple shirt with the number '1' on his left shoulder and long black sleeves that extended from under the shirt. His eyes were mysteriously hidden under the visor of his white and navy cap that had headphones hanging from behind his head. After he stopped before the Beystadium, he pointed to the front of his cap that read "ALEX" with a wide grin. "Just 'Alex' is fine," he said.

Blader DJ replied, "Yes. _Alex_ Masters."

Whimsically, Max greeted his opponent as he scratched the back of his head. "I've been watching you throughout this tournament. I was hoping I would face you in the finals."

Alex chuckled, "It's nice to hear that from the soon-to-be _former_ Regional Champ."

"We'll see about that!"

With that, Max pulled out a green Custom Grip shooter and a red ripcord from under his jacket. Next, he revealed an aquamarine Beyblade that reached 1.4 inches and secured it in his shooter. Alex was already holding up a purple Custom Grip shooter before him with an orange-colored Beyblade that came to about the same size as Max's. As the two Beybladers prepared to battle, Blader DJ began the countdown. "3…2…1…"

Simultaneously, Max and Alex cried, "GO SHOOT!"

They both pulled their ripcords, and with a powerful spin, both Beyblades were released to the wide blue Beystadium below them. The battle had begun.

Both Beyblades entered the Beystadium, and they both circled around the edge, awaiting the right moment to attack. Alex was first. "Let's see how tough you really are." With that, the orange Beyblade's pace grew exponentially and caught up with Max's blade. It went to attack it, but the moment it touched, the orange blade was sent backward instantly! "Huh?" Alex wondered.

Max grinned, "Surprised you, huh? That's my new blade, **_Draciel Endless_**. Four sides of the blade base are guarded with metal bars built inside of it. Any attacks made toward will do you no good. And since that makes my blade a bit heavier, you won't be able to send me out the ring so easily. That's why my defense…is endless!"

With that, the aquamarine blade, Draciel E, briefly went on the attack and tackled the orange blade, sending it back hard! "Whoa! Looks like I can't fool around here," Alex said. "Go, **_Red Salamander Atlas_**!" Alex's blade quickly went back after Draciel E. "Jump!" he cried. Red Salamander A leapt in midair and hovered over Max's blade as Alex shouted, "And attack!" The orange blade flew down at the green blade and smashed over the top of it, pushing it back. "You sacrifice your speed, Max! If I can't knock you out, I'll wear you down!" Red Salamander A leapt up once more and went after Draciel E from its top once more. But, Draciel E suddenly circled away, leaving Red Salamander A to hit the floor behind them! Then, the green blade went after the orange blade as quick as it could and grinded against it, its powerful weight heavily depleting its opponent's spin power. Max replied, "I know my speed is average. So, I just have to anticipate you!" Draciel E brashly knocked Red Salamander A back to the edge of the Beystadium. "Oh! Is this it!" Blader DJ exclaimed excitedly. Max cried out, "Draciel!" It was Draciel E's turn to leap into the air with a stunned Red Salamander A below it. "Finish it!" Max's blade quickly dropped down at Red Salamander A, threatening to finish it off. But, it stood its ground, strangely awaiting its defeat. But, unbeknownst to Max, Alex wore the slyest grin, as if he was up to something. Finally, Draciel E impacted Red Salamander A, creating a giant explosion of green light! As the cloud of brown debris the attack made dissipated, Draciel Endless was severely off balance, but Red Salamander A was literally buried in the Beystadium, defeated.

Under the burning limelight, Max wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Boy, that was close. Somehow, that blade made me lose balance on that impact. I held too much back. If he managed to survive that attack, I would've been the loser."

"Red Salamander Atlas, sleep out!" Blader DJ exclaimed. "Max is the win…!"

"Not so fast!"

Alex suddenly stopped Blader DJ in his announcement and pointed down to the Beystadium. Max looked down and gasped at what he saw. Below Alex was _another_, smaller Red Salamander Atlas! "How can that be!" Max exclaimed. He looked to his left and found the first Red Salamander A still stuck in the Beystadium beside his unstable Draciel E. "Oh, wait! Alex is still in the game! He had just demonstrated Red Salamander A's special ability to split into two blades! The officials know about this move, so it's perfectly legal! But, this is the first time he's ever used it in this whole tournament!"

"You tricked me…and everyone else," Max said to Alex. "Because we didn't know about this move, the element of surprise was yours."

"Heh, heh. Exactly," Alex grinned. "Like a lizard who sheds its skin, Red Salamander A has the special gimmick to split into two blades. I didn't think I had to use this crude move to defeat you."

"What?"

Max looked down to be reminded that Draciel E was terribly off balance, its speed quickly dying. Then, finally, it had stopped spinning. Max gasped, "NO!" But, it was true. With the second Red Salamander A still spinning, Max and Draciel Endless was defeated.

Blader DJ and the crowd were astounded by the outcome of the match, briefly silencing them all. But, Blader DJ quickly regained his composure and cried out the final verdict. "It's over! Alex is the winner by sleep out!" As most of the crowd cheered, Max's fans in the stands were bewildered by their idol's defeat. But, Max himself was shocked at his loss. "Unbelievable," he thought. "He deliberately sacrificed his primary Beyblade to kill my spin power to its very limit. Then, his secondary blade would out-spin my weakened Draciel Endless easily." Max clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in quiet frustration. "I should be able to stomach a loss, but losing like _this_…" The diminutive Red Salamander A flew out the Beystadium and into Alex's hand. The boy with the cap grinned once more. "I guess your defense isn't so _endless_ after all." Then, he went down to pick up his real Red Salamander A. But, he stopped once he spotted Draciel E's Bit Chip. On it was a picture of a giant purple turtle with a black armored shell. Alex proceeded to take his blade and silently walked off. Blader DJ announced to the crowd, "Now, stay put in your seats for the ceremony that will acknowledge Alex Masters as the new Regional Champion!" Max frowned and watched as Alex silently walked away. "How can I hope to face Takao _or_ his successor again if I lost to someone like _that_?"

As he headed towards the locker room walkway, a single blue eye sparkled from under Alex's visor. "There's no doubt about it. That was _Genbu_," he murmured. As his long red mane waved along with his movement, the mysterious young boy disappeared into the shadows of the walkway, with intentions unknown…

_"Mizuhara Max, be prepared for our next Beybattle."

* * *

_

Back in Tokyo, while Luna still slept in his bed, Takao was in his room, looking over his Dragoon E silently. "I don't even know why I had you with me, even though you helped save another kid's blade," he thought with a halfhearted grin. Suddenly, Hiromi discreetly came into Takao's room. With worry in her voice, she spoke to Takao, "Takao, this isn't like you at all. What is this all of a sudden?"

"Why do you care? You never even liked Beyblade," Takao scowled irritably.

"That doesn't matter anymore. I never wanted you to give up something you love, especially since it's obvious you don't want to."

Takao looked over to Hiromi who had an honest gleam in her eyes. Accepting her comfort, he decided to open up to her. "You don't have to worry, Hiromi. I just finally met the one Beyblader I could never beat. I'm not even the World Champion anymore, remember? He managed to defeat me in last year's tournament. A week ago, I found out that he lives around here, and I wanted a rematch. I couldn't beat him…_four times_! I figured I should stop before I embarrass myself even more. He's just…better than me."

"That shouldn't make you quit just like that," Hiromi replied. "Whenever your opponent is tougher than expected, you always get tougher. Just try to get better."

"What do you think I've been doing after each loss? I trained a bit more after he beat me and learned plenty of new tricks. But, he still gets the best of me. It's best if I forget about it."

Takao placed his Beyblade on top of his dresser and sighed once more. "Excuse me," he said. Then, he quietly walked past Hiromi. The girl watched him leave his room and looked back down at his shiny, lonely blade he had left behind with a sympathetic stare…

* * *

Under the afternoon sun, in the far, forested outskirts of Tokyo, a family of birds came together to rest together after a long, full day of flight. Squirrels gathered brown nuts from the ground to take into their shelters in the trees. As nature was taken its final course in the day, there was a loud sound echoing around the wide trees. It was the sound of an ax cutting through a block of wood. The sound was at its loudest at a small field without any trees in the middle of the entire forest. Sitting behind a tree stump, there was a young boy wearing a dirty blue shirt and light blue pants with a torn left tassel. With crimson hair messy from hard labor and focused emerald colored eyes that emitted pure ferocity at his duty, he took a small ax in his right hand and delivered fine cuts through many pieces of wood he laid on the stump before him. After three more cuts, he put his ax down and sighed as he wiped over his forehead. He looked over to his right and scaled up the enormous pile of wood he gathered on a small sleigh. It was practically twice his size! "Boy, maybe I overdid it some," the boy said in a small but gruff tone of voice. He went in front of the sleigh and picked up its tug rope to pull it. It didn't budge. As he exerted himself to pull the heavy sleigh at most one inch, he stopped to take a breath. "Aw man! There's no way I'm gonna bring all this firewood back home!" he groaned, bowed down his head in defeat. 

"Daichi!" someone cried out!

The red-haired boy quickly raised his head at the sound of his name and grinned mischievously while slightly blushing. Suddenly, a young girl appeared from the bushes and found Daichi before her. She had long pink hair in a ponytail, a black dress with a yellow silk belt around her waist, and dark brown boots. Her live, sapphire colored eyes shimmered as she said, "The elder's wondering where you were. You better hurry up!"

Daichi took one hand behind his head and laughed, "Uh, yeah! I was just heading back!"

The girl looked over to the giant pile of wood and looked up towards the top in awe. "Oh wow! You got all _this_ done!"

"Yeah, well…" the boy shrugged.

"It looks heavy. How about I help you bring back to our village?"

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to help," Daichi replied honestly.

"Oh no, it's no problem at all."

With that, the girl picked up the rope and pulled it. Miraculously, and at Daichi's surprise, she managed to pull the sleigh around one foot forward with fairly little effort at all! The boy's eyes bulged out of their sockets in shock while the young girl giggled. "Oh, this _is_ pretty heavy! But, I should be able to take it back to the village by myself. Do you mind?"

"Uh…no. Go ahead."

With that, the girl continued pulling the sleigh full of wood out of the clear area in the forest as Daichi stood there, staring after her in emasculation. With that blank expression still over his face, he murmured, "I have officially lost faith in myself as a man." Shamefully and in defeat, Sumeragi Daichi slowly followed her back home.

After a while, the two kids found themselves in a moderately large village of straw huts and gardens of growing vegetation. In similar native robes and dresses, the villagers went around picking fresh corn from their crops and gathering their fair share of water from the well in the middle of the village streets. It wasn't long until the night sky will blanket the sky, so they all did everything they needed to do before going into their respective huts with their families.

Daichi and the young girl made it back into the village with the sleigh of wood. The girl sighed, "We made it! That was a great workout!"

"I'm sure it was," Daichi groaned to himself.

"I'm just doing all I can to catch up to you! I bet you could've pulled that sleigh single-handed!"

Daichi chuckled uneasily and thought to himself. "Is she serious? She _really_ doesn't realize her strength."

Suddenly, laughter was directed towards the two kids. They both looked to their left to find a trio of three boys sneering at them derisively. The skinny, nasally kid stepped forward and chuckled, "You two together again? Don't you get tired to hanging around girls, runt?"

As the girl hid behind his arm nervously, Daichi exclaimed, "Hey, shut up, ya punk! Who are you to always be picking on her anyway!"

"Are you really that much of a wimp?" the stout kid in the overalls replied. "You were kinda cool before, but now that that girl had shown up in our village, you've gone soft! What happened to the Sumeragi Beyblade Champ!"

"He's still here, fatso! I don't hear any of you challenging me, so fight _me_ before saying crap like that!"

Finally, the tallest kid with the shady eyes and the long nose grinned cruelly. "Okay then, _I'll_ challenge you. If you lose, you shall officially renounce your title as the Beyblade Champ of the entire village and admit to _everyone_ that you love that girl, Reena!"

Daichi blushed for a brief second when accused of liking the pink-haired girl hiding behind him. But, he quickly regained his bearings and exclaimed, "All right then! And if I win, you have to stand outside naked in front of _all_ the kids here!"

The boy with the long nose twitched inadvertently at Daichi's dare, but he clinched his fist and swung it in front of him. "Y…you're on!" Daichi looked back toward Reena and whispered, "Get back, okay?" Reena quietly nodded and meekly stepped away to stand next to the sleigh of wood. With the red sun setting behind him, Daichi pulled out a gray ax-like Grip Shooter from a pound he had hanging around his waist and attached a dark purple Beyblade on it. The long-nosed boy pulled out a small black EZ shooter with a light blue blade hooked onto it. The other two bullies grinned tauntingly at Daichi as they began the countdown. "Three…two…one…GO! SHOOT!" Answering to the call, Daichi and the bully both pulled their ripcords and released their respective Beyblades to do battle!

In the middle of the two Beybladers, the two Beyblades circled around through the grassy terrain, ripping the small green blades with little to no effort. Finally, the blades had met and grinded against each other before they both pushed away from each other. After they had repeated their initial attack, the two blades continuously struck against each other with one single strike after another. Then, finally, the purple Beyblade pushed the blue one away, making it wobble for a moment. The bully grunted as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face. Daichi grinned confidently, "What's the matter? Are ya backing off already?"

"Ha! Like I'd do something like that! GO!"

The blue Beyblade went after Daichi's blade, but the purple blade was already coming at it! It literally plowed through the bully's blade and sent in midair for a moment. After it had landed and left itself disoriented, the purple blade came back and sent it back up again. Daichi rubbed under his nose with one finger as he chuckled and looked back towards Reena with a big grin. "I've got this one, Reena!"

"You can do it, Daichi! Show him what you got!" the girl cheered.

"You got it! GO!"

Daichi's blade quickly circled around and went at the bully's blade, closing in to finish the battle. But, suddenly, two other blades came at it and violently pushed it back! Daichi gasped as he saw his blade slowly losing balance and found that he now has three opponents. The other two bullies had interfered in the Beybattle!

Guarding the blue Beyblade, the other two Beyblades, one gray and the other red, stood still and spun before Daichi's blade. Daichi clenched his teeth and frowned at the three grinning bullies. "I should've known you would stoop this low."

The skinny kid snickered to himself, "You didn't say we couldn't join in as well."

"And now we can take care of you together!" the obese kid added.

The three Beyblades simultaneously came at Daichi's blade from three different directions. They blast through the purple top within a second with dead on smash attacks, circled around, and repeated the same tactic. Daichi growled in frustration as he watched his blade being pummeled at all directions. Reena cried out in worry, "Daichi!"

"Don't worry; I'm still in this!"

Daichi folded his arms before him in a cross and gave a loud cry that gradually grew into a louder tone. Reacting to his cry, the purple Beyblade briefly glowed in a faint, golden color. Then, as the three blades came at it again, they were instantly repelled from it! The bullies gasped as they saw their Beyblades pushed back in an unstable spin. Daichi slightly lowered his arms to flash a great smirk over his face. "Three against one and this is all you guys have for me?" he taunted.

"We'll get you!" the long nosed kid grunted. "Guys! Follow me!"

Suddenly, the blue Beyblade regained its bearings and went after the purple one as the other two blades followed. Then, they all steered to the right and circled around the purple top. As they spun around and around as quickly as they could, they literally created a circle of light energy around the blade. Daichi grunted, "You tryin' to trap me!" Daichi's blade went forward to try to force its way out of the light circle, but it was instantly pushed back! When it took off to the right of the circle, it was pushed away once more. It seemed that whenever Daichi's blade gets to the circle, it wasn't fast enough to avoid being pushed back by one of the three blades creating it. Reena gasped, "Oh no! Daichi!" But, Daichi still retained his wide grin. "Don't worry. Watch this. Only the power of _one foot_ can defeat them!" With that, a golden aura briefly glowed around Daichi's blade once again, and it quickly dashed forward at the circle of light once more. The red-haired youth held up his right foot to be diagonal to the ground; reacting to his simple movement, the purple blade bent down on its side diagonally to the ground. As it quickly went into the circle, the moment the blue Beyblade connected, it literally 'tripped' over it! The bully's blade was sent rolling over the ground, and while the other two blades still followed, it crashed into the lead blade and completely broke their attack. Daichi cried out, "Now! Finishing Attack! _Co-Ring Cutter!_" As his purple blade circled around at the three blades, its special aura glowed once more and took the form of a large ring of energy around the blade. It quickly slashed straight through the trio of blades with a giant impact, so great an impact that it completely destroyed all three of them in one swoop! Daichi had won!

Reena cheered in ecstasy. "Yeah! Daichi's number 1!" Now that the battle was over, the purple Beyblade flew into Daichi's right palm to rest. The bullies gasped in utter shock as they witnessed the shattered pieces of their Beyblades and fell to their knees in defeat, crying and bawling. "No! I can't believe we lost! It's gonna be cold tomorrow! I don't wanna be naked!"

Daichi chuckled, "Guess I'm not so weak after all, huh?"

Reena quickly came to Daichi's side and smiled at him in pure relief. "You did great, Daichi! You've gotten a lot better!"

"Heh! I know!"

"Boy, I wish I can be _twice_ as good as you."

"Oh, come on! Even _you_ can wail on these guys when it comes to Beyblade! Why don't you challenge them right now?"

"But, you…destroyed their Beyblades."

"Huh, I did?"  
Daichi and Reena looked back to find the bits and pieces that were left of the bullies' Beyblades before them. Daichi could only laugh. "Heh, did _I_ do that?"

All three bullies answered as they continued sniffling, "You most certainly did!"

Daichi blew them off with a casual shrug as Reena giggled to herself. "Well, what can you do?"

"Daichi!" a voice called.

The two kids looked to their left side to spot a tall middle-aged man with black hair and shot black beard that linked to his sideburns. He also wore brown and red robes that tell people that he was an important figure. Daichi and Reena kept their eyes on this man as they both murmured, "The Elder…"

"If you are finished with your friends, come into my hut at once," the man quietly demanded.

With that, the Elder walked off to a hut that seemed larger than the others and went inside.

Daichi turned to Reena with a questionable look. "What would the Elder want with me all of a sudden?"

Reena answered, "I'm not quite sure, but…I'm pretty sure it has something to do with your _father_."

"What?"

"That's what he said when he told me to come get you. You better hurry up; I'll take care of the wood."

"Okay. I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, then?"

"Just like always," the girl smiled.

"See ya around, then!"

Then, Daichi started to run off. But, he briefly stopped when he caught the three bullies he defeated in the corner of his eye. He yelled at them, "You better not chicken out of our bet, or I'm huntin' you down!"

"Huh? You were serious!" they all exclaimed.

"Of course I was, you morons!"

"Aww…"

Finally, Daichi continued on to the Elder's hut. He stopped before the door and stared at how tall it was. But, he was deeply thinking about the reason he was entering that door. "My father…what could the Elder know about him?" His mind made up, the boy pulled the door open and slowly went inside.

* * *

Back at Kinomiya Dojo, Takao was sitting on the boardwalk only with his private thoughts and the night sky looking down at him. As he was staring at the stars, Hiromi and Kyouju stayed to the side, watching him in worry. "I still can't believe that Takao would give up like this," Kyouju murmured. "It isn't like him at all." 

Hiromi added, "It's like he lost the reason why he loved Beyblading so much. If only there was something that would bring his spirit back…"

Takao sighed to himself as he rubbed over his head in frustration. "Is this really the right thing to do? Why do I still have doubts about my decision?" he thought.

Then, Takao inadvertently yelled, "Argh! Can anything take my mind off of Beyblade anymore!"

Suddenly, a siren-like cry shrieked through everyone's ears! All three adolescents held their ears to block out the noise. "What is that horrible sound!" Hiromi cried. Takao looked up and gasped once he spotted a gigantic, brown-furred bat fly over Kinomiya Dojo! Its huge shadow loomed over them as it crashed onto the street in front of the dojo. "That'll do," the blue-haired boy said as he quickly ran out the dojo entrance.

"Takao!" both Hiromi and Kyouju cried as they followed.

After the kids exited the dojo, they gasped as they saw the bat they say that was easily twice their size! It was lying over the streets with a bad right wing. It looked twisted and it was even bleeding. Takao gasped, "What is that! A giant bat!"

"It looks badly wounded," Hiromi said sympathetically.

The bat Holy Beast made weak, defenseless cries, as if it was begging for mercy. Kyouju turned away from his panicked expressions and made a quick observation. "Wait, that distinct aura around it…could this be a…_Holy Beast?_"

"A Holy Beast?" Takao replied. "Are you sure?"

"What else could it be? They had been reports of strange creatures seen around town lately."

"Unreal."

"Stay back, children!" a gruff voice called.

Takao, Hiromi, and Kyouju looked over to see a tall, white-haired man dressed in a military uniform with sergeant rank over his broad shoulders. His blue eyes gleamed cold and menacingly at the wounded Holy Beast as he ruthlessly held a rifle at it. "Who in the world are you!" Kyouju cried.

The man looked back toward the adolescents and gritted his teeth. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Why do you have a rifle at it! It's already wounded and unable to defend itself!"

"I bet you wounded him like this, didn't you?" Hiromi added in instant anger. "I think you've done enough!"

"What would kids like you know about this?" the man replied coolly. "This has nothing to do with any of you."

"Sgt. Mizuno!" a voice called out.

In seconds, the soldier's rifle was struck in the middle of it by something hard, instantly breaking it in half! He dropped both halves of the broken rifle and looked below his feet to see a small black Beyblade with crimson streaks under the bottom of its blade base. "Who's there!" the man named Sgt. Mizuno wondered. Everyone looked up to see someone standing tall on the Kinomiya Dojo's wall. It was a young, colored boy with short black hair that had two green streaks on its side. He wore light gray baggy pants and navy T-shirt with a light blue jacket worn over it. His tough-looking brown eyes glared down at Mizuno while Takao was unable to look away from this new youth. The sergeant groaned, "Not that kid again."

"You won't be taking that Holy Beast, Sergeant!" the dark-skinned boy declared.

Then, he slightly widened his eyes, and his Beyblade reacted to him. Oddly enough, it came after the Holy Beast. The boy cried, "**_ABSOLUTE KERBEROUS!_**" Suddenly, from the dark Beyblade, the image of a large, frightening three-headed dog that wore blood red armor over its legs, shoulders, and back appeared! The beast went at the bat Holy Beast and slashed at it with one swipe of its right paw! Crimson blades slashed right through the bat, and after one last blood-curdling scream, it vanished into several diminutive particles. It had been completely destroyed.

Takao and the others gasped in horror. Hiromi whispered, "I thought…he was here…to save that creature."

Kyouju continued, "But, he…_killed_ it?"

Sgt. Mizuno grunted in frustration. "There goes another one. You'll pay for this, kid!" With that, the mysterious man in military wear quickly retreated and disappeared.

The Beyblade, Absolute Kerberous, flew back into the unknown youth's right palm. He leapt down from the dojo wall and started to walk off without a word. But, Hiromi called after him, "Hey, wait a minute! You need to explain yourself!"

The boy softly replied, "There's nothing to discuss. You best forget what happened here tonight."

"Like that's gonna happen! We watched you kill a Holy Beast, a living creature!"

"I didn't kill it. I gave it its freedom. That man was going to capture that defenseless creature, and it's best that he doesn't get his dirty hands on it."

"That hardly justifies what you just did! You're no better than that cruel man!"

The boy looked back with a piercing stare, and it immediately sent chills down Hiromi's spine. "Whoa. What a creepy look," she murmured to herself. Then, the boy spotted Takao simply staring at him with a blank look over his face. He quickly recognized him. "Hmm. So, this is where you live, Kinomiya Takao."

"Huh? Takao, do you know him?" Kyouju wondered.

Takao continued to stare without looking away, but he briefly found the strength to speak. "I don't…know his real name. But…he calls himself…'BOSS.' He's the…current World Champion." Hiromi and Kyouju gasped at this sudden development. They were face to face with the boy who was known only as "Boss," the boy who defeated Takao.

Boss shut his eyes calmly and nodded his head. "Yes, that's me. The one and only."

"So, _he's_ the one who Takao couldn't beat!" Hiromi thought to herself.

"It's nice to see you, Takao. After your last attempt to fight me yesterday, I was surprised that you didn't come at me again today."

Takao didn't answer. He was still completely mystified by Boss' presence, alone with only his thoughts. But, after a while, he slightly frowned at him. "Well, I have to get going now. See ya around," Boss said. Then, the boy turned away to walk off. But, this time, Takao spoke up. "Wait!" Boss stopped walking, but he didn't turn around to face him. Takao continued regardless. "You and that Mizuno guy apparently know each other, right?"

"I suppose," Boss replied.

"So, I take it that you've done this before."

The dark boy turned around toward Takao with a resigned look over his face. "And if I did?"

"You know perfectly well that _I_ have a Holy Beast. Does that mean you'll come after my Seiryuu, too?"

Boss didn't reply, but without changing his expression, it was clear that he didn't deny it. Then, Takao's eyes widened as his soul suddenly ignited. "Well, forget it!"

"Hm?" Boss wondered.

"Seiryuu has always been there for me ever since I accidentally broke his seal on my family's sword! Together, we become the World Champion for three years straight! The least I could do was to put him back in his seal so he could finally have a well-deserved rest after my retirement! There's no way I'm gonna let you take his life!"

"People like that man will eventually find out that you have a Holy Beast once they research the BBA files of every Beyblader who participated in the championships," Boss protested. "It's better to destroy it now before they ruin any more lives."

"What about _your_ Holy Beast? Will you destroy him as well? He's your partner!"

"That's not even a question. Once I rid the world of all Holy Beasts, I will destroy my Absolute Kerberous without any regret."

Hiromi and Kyouju gasped in disbelief. "I can't believe you just said that!" Kyouju exclaimed.

"You would really throw away your own Holy Beast's life so needlessly like that!" Hiromi added.

"That's the plan," Boss nodded.

"Then, I've clearly overestimated you," Takao said. "If you would discard something as precious as your partner, then you're not the great Beyblader I thought you were. I would NEVER give up my title as World Champ to someone as heartless as you!"

After hearing those words, Hiromi smiled at Takao in relief. From this moment, Takao was indeed his old self again.

Boss scoffed in reply to Takao's speech. "But, I do have the title. I defeated you, remember?"

"No, you haven't!" Takao shot back. "You may have the title, but that doesn't mean I have to acknowledge it! As long as you think the way you do, you don't deserve to be World Champion!"

"I see. So, you're going to be stubborn, right?"

Hiromi came to Takao's side and tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. He looked down at her and found two items in her hands. It was his Beyblade and Grip Shooter! Takao smiled, "Thanks a lot."

Hiromi nodded, "I knew you wouldn't quit so soon. So go get him."

Without question, Takao took his Beyblade gear from Hiromi and proceeded to attach his Dragoon E onto its shooter. Then, he held it before Boss, once again challenging him to a Beybattle. The dark kid sighed in exasperation. "You're a glutton for punishment. But, I admit that you're kinda fun to beat around. I accept your fifth challenge!" With that, Boss dramatically pushed back the right flap of his jacket to pull out a gray and white Grip shooter. Then, his right hand reached for the 'necklace' around his neck and pulled it by its large finger grips to reveal it as a ripcord while he sets it in the shooter. Next, he snatched his Beyblade from his back pocket and attached it to the shooter while holding both arms over his head. "GO! SHOOT!" he cried as he finally pulled the cord to release Absolute Kerberous.

"Go, Dragoon Eclipse!" Takao cried after releasing his own blade.

With two blades running at each other, the battle between the current and former champions has begun.

The two Beyblades came at a head and grinded against each other to start things off. After they forced themselves backwards, they circled around again before coming at the center and attacking again. "Come on, Dragoon! Let's show this guy how powerful we really are!" Takao exclaimed.

Boss replied, "You're wasting your time. You know how powerful I am."

With that, Absolute Kerberous backed away from its opponent and ran to the Kinomiya Dojo wall. Boss leapt up in the air with his blade, and they both simultaneously jumped from the wall to gain more air. Then, Boss cried out fiercely as he and his blade flew down at the ground. Upon landing, Boss thrust his fist to the ground below, creating a powerful shockwave! Also, when Absolute Kerberous landed hard on the ground, it created its own shockwave through the ground! The waves violently pushed Takao while his Dragoon E was thrown off the ground momentarily. The powerful winds flew past Hiromi and Kyouju while they monitored the battle. "Wow! What an intense power!" Hiromi awed.

"You're telling me!" Kyouju replied.

Kyouju was sitting down on the sidewalk with his laptop before him, analyzing Absolute Kerberous and comparing it to Dragoon E's stats. Kyouju explained, "Absolute Kerberous' battle power is ridiculously immense! Even though Dragoon E's still a fresh Beyblade, it's gonna have a hard time against something like that!" Takao stood his ground while Dragoon E continued spinning over a disturbed, cracked floor. "I'm not gonna let you beat me that easily!" Takao declared.

"Hmph. That was nothing, and you know it," Boss scoffed.

"Well, try _this_!"

With that, both Takao and Dragoon E leapt into the air, right in front of the moon in the dark sky. Boss followed his movements carefully. But, as Takao flew out of the way of the moon, its moonlight reflected over Dragoon E and created a white flash to blind Boss! "Ah!" he groaned. Momentarily stunned, Absolute Kerberous was left in wait as Dragoon E quickly darted it fast from midair. Takao landed back on the ground and swung his right arm to the side like a swipe. Answering to the blader's command, the silver Beyblade landed to the left and took a hard right to strike the black Beyblade hard, pushing it back! The force from Takao's blow also shoved Boss backward over his feet. He still stood, but it was clear that he was genuinely surprised. Hiromi cheered, "All right! Nice move!"

"Takao managed to use Dragoon Eclipse's elemental gimmick," Kyouju explained. "The moonlight can reflect against the moon's rays of light to create a brief flare of light to stun the opponent. It's not a practical move, being that most Beyblading takes place during the day, but it's the ideal blade for night battles."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Boss smiled. "You managed to catch my interest."

"Like I always do!" Takao grinned back.

Boss still wore that smile as he thought of his next move. Takao was still grinning as well, but a bead of sweat fell down his face in worry. "He always says that whenever he begins to take things seriously," he thought. "I'd better watch myself."

Then, Takao cried, "Go!"

Dragoon E went on a straight dash towards Absolute Kerberous as it was also heading towards it. Quickly, they both came at one another to meet in a great collision…

…Inside Kinomiya Dojo, in Takao's room, the sound of the collision was faintly heard. But, it was even to shock Luna awake from her slumber. The mysterious girl sat back up and held her forehead wearily. "Where…?" Then, suddenly, a loud beastly roar was heard, and Luna gasped. She murmured, "S…Seiryuu…?"

Back outside, Dragoon E and Absolute Kerberous kept smashing into each other upon the cracked floor below them, exchanging blow for blow. Takao softly panted in faint exhaustion, but Boss still kept his calm composure. "At this rate, I'll tire down like last time and lose," he thought. "No. I mustn't wear down just yet. If I fail…" Slowly, Takao struggled to stand upright and ignored his exhaustion. In reply, Dragoon E began to summon greater power and knocked away Absolute Kerberous with one smash attack! Boss twitched, "What?" Takao wore the face of determination as faint wind surrounded his entire body. As several seconds past, the wind became stronger and faster. Then, he threw his head to the night sky and roared, "DRAGOON, ATTACK!" With intense wind violently flowing from Takao, the blue and gray dragon, Seiryuu, roared loudly from behind. The dragon coiled around his partner and lashed out at the dark Beyblade before him. The powerful storm pushed against the blade and forcefully pushed it back several feet. Caught off guard, Boss was thrown from the wind and was threatened to be pushed back. Boss managed to barely stand his ground and cried out, "NOT YET!" While pushing against the wind, Absolute Kerberous emitted vast amounts of raw black energy from itself and pushed back against the tornado of Dragoon E. The actual Holy Beast, Absolute Kerberous, surrounded himself with that same energy as an intense battle aura and ran through the wind with a powerful roar. But, Seiryuu was already charging at him, and they were prepared to meet in a great collision! As Kyouju and Hiromi watched in awe while shielding themselves from the waves of powerful energy, Takao and Boss cried as the powers of their Beyblades met in one point, resulting into a giant explosion…

…As the smoke slowly cleared, Hiromi and Kyouju coughed amongst the debris. Hiromi exclaimed, "Takao!"

"That was an incredible collision!" Kyouju awed. "How could _any_ blade still be spinning after that!"

"Takao…"

Then, as the battleground finally became visible, the two spectators gasped as the entire street was completely littered with several faults and cracks in it! Kyouju laughed uneasily, "You were right, Hiromi. You should play Beyblade away from the street."

Ignoring him, Hiromi cried out, "Takao!"

The colored boy in blue, Boss, was still standing in the transparent screen of smoke, slowly panting to himself. And in front of him, Takao was on one knee, his panting coarser than his opponent's. After the smoke completely disappeared, Absolute Kerberous was wearily spinning, but Dragoon E's unstable spin was quickly dying out. Boss grinned, "You got some power when you're properly motivated. But, it looks like I'm gonna win once again."

Takao gritted his teeth. "No. I…can't…let it…end like this…ugh."

Suddenly, a voice softly called out. "Seiryuu?" Everyone looked toward the entrance of the Kinomiya Dojo and found a wandering Luna standing there.

As Luna looked around in wonder, Boss' eyes widened as he stared at her. Takao lifted his head and found her standing at the dojo's door. "Luna?" he grunted.

"Takao-san…where is Seiryuu?" she asked.

"What?"

Luna looked down at the weakened Dragoon E and gasped at what she saw. In place of the Beyblade, she saw the blue dragon, Seiryuu, barely standing on his legs and his arms hanging down to his side. He weakly growled as his black eyes slowly faded. The mysterious girl reached out with one hand and murmured, "You're…dying…" Suddenly, a faint white aura glowed around this girl, surprising everyone! "What's…happening?" Hiromi wondered.

"I've no idea!" Kyouju replied.

Boss stood upright and stared in disbelief. "No. She can't be… She's a…_Holy Beast_!"

Takao gasped, "What!"

"I had no idea…that the Holy Beasts that recently appeared here…are able to take on a human form."

"You've gotta…be kidding."

Luna's hand had caught the weakened Seiryuu's attention, and he softly growled to her. The young girl smiled wistfully, "Don't worry. It will be all right. I'm going…to save you." The white aura began to glow brighter and larger around Luna until it completely consumed her. Then, a brilliant flash burst from her and washed over the blue dragon, and he disappeared with one last roar. The powerful light went into the top of Dragoon E, and the blade itself glowed with intense white energy. Everyone was hiding their eyes away while trying to figure out what was happening. Boss grunted, "What _is_ this?"

Takao wondered, "If it's true that Luna is a Holy Beast…is she…giving Seiryuu her own powers?"

Suddenly, the energy expanded, and it quickly came at Takao! Before he could react, the white energy surrounded him. The young boy held himself as he tried to force away the sudden pain he was feeling. Then, he roared to the skies once more. Then, the energy exploded into another powerful burst of wind. Boss was barely able to stand against the great wind this time, and he and his Beyblade were pushed away from the wind upon each second. "What incredible power!" he exclaimed. Then, he gasped as he saw a faint, large figure in the blinding white light. It took the form of a great form of a winged dragon. A savage roar erupted and Boss was in shock at what he saw. Suddenly, a faint burst of wind pressed against Absolute Kerberous and pushed it away, sending it to Boss's feet in a critical condition of spin power. Finally, the white light began to dissipate. Luna was nowhere to be found. The only figures left before him were a recovered Dragoon E and a standing Takao. Underneath his bangs, Takao's right eye briefly gleamed in a strange sapphire color. Boss gritted his teeth, and he summoned his Beyblade to fly back into his hand. "Things…just got more difficult," he said. Then, he turned away and walked off. After a while, he had disappeared.

With Boss gone, Dragoon E calmed down and finally stopped spinning. While it lied there, Takao sighed in relief as he fell onto his knees. "A new…power." Then, submitting to his exhaustion, Takao fell on the ground, unconscious. "Takao!" Hiromi gasped and quickly ran to him with Kyouju right behind her. She came to his side and slowly turned him on his back to see his face. "Takao! Wake up! Takao!" she cried. As she tended to him, Kyouju knelt down to Takao's Beyblade and picked it up to examine it. But, there was something that caught his attention that indeed surprised him. "Wh…what _is_ this?" he wondered. With Dragoon E in his palm, he stared at the Bit Chip which had a picture of a diamond-colored dragon with four large wings that formed a cross. Seiryuu, the Blue Dragon of Wood, had evolved into a newer, mysterious form…

* * *

**_NEXT TIME… _**

_Kyouju: Oh! Takao, look what's happened to your Holy Beast!_

_Takao: Seiryuu looks…different…and feels much stronger. Huh? Max! What are you doing here!_

_Max: Takao, we meet again. Actually, I got this letter and…_

_Takao & Max: Huh? It's you!_

_Takao: Boss…and this Alex guy are teammates!_

_Daichi: Where could've Reena gone to?_

_Takao: What th…! Who's this kid!_

**_"The Ones We Pursue"_**

_Rei: Sensei…_

_Kai: This girl…seems familiar…_


	2. The Ones We Pursue

In the middle of the day, back in New York City, the young blond, Mizuhara Max, emerged from an elevator door of a large, expensive apartment and found himself in a golden lobby full of other apartment residents. As he walked along the smooth, plated surface of the floor, he came to a large wall of mailboxes on his right. As he scanned the numbers matching an apartment room written on the small doors. "Yeah, that's it," he said once he spotted the number '1028.' He took a key and opened the mailbox to pull out a single envelope. As he looked over the top of it to find out the sender, he suspiciously raised an eyebrow. The sender was someone named 'Anonymous.' "I kinda figured that Dad wouldn't send me another letter after receiving _plenty_ of them yesterday. But, _this_ is…" Unable to resist, Max proceeded to pull open the envelope flap and took out the letter inside. He silently read it for a brief moment. And just when he finished reading, he gasped. "What!"

**_Beyblade Lunar Eclipse_**

**_Episode 2: "The Ones We Pursue"_**

Back under the night sky of Tokyo, inside the Kinomiya Dojo, Takao was resting on his bed peacefully while Hiromi sat next to him to keep watch on him. "I hope Grandpa Ryunossuke hurries up to fix him that treatment," she said. Meanwhile, Kyouju was on his laptop again, studying Dragoon Eclipse's sudden 'upgrade' from before. "I just can't believe that Luna was a Holy Beast that took on a human form," Kyouju said. "Their powers are indeed unparalleled."

"And you said that she fused with Takao's Holy Beast to give him more power?" Hiromi asked.

Kyouju looked over the winged, white dragon on Dragoon E's Bit Chip and looked back on its stats on the computer screen. In the bar chart, the red bars that analyze the Holy Beast's power were rising and falling erratically. "This new Seiryuu's power is quite unstable. So, I don't know whether this is a good thing or not. But, one thing's for sure: it took quite a lot out of Takao. He was already weakening before this happened, and now that it did, he's completely worn out. I doubt he'll be able to get back up until tomorrow."

"Takao," Hiromi murmured in worry.

As Takao stayed put and slept soundlessly, Hiromi and Kyouju exchanged one last conversation. "Once Grandpa comes back, we gotta get home. We'll both visit him first thing in the morning, okay?"

Hiromi replied, "Okay."

* * *

Deep in the rural area of Tokyo, there were hardly any people around walking past several small, two-story buildings. But, one small building was isolated all by itself along a road block. A single light was glowing from the window at the top. Through the window, the blinding light of a TV sat in a relatively clean bedroom as a lone, young man was resting on the small bed in front of it. Wearing just dark navy pants, a boy with spiky, grayish-blue hair peacefully slept. But, the peace was interrupted by a gruff voice yelling his name outside. "Hiwatari Kai! If you're in there, come out now!" Soon after hearing his name, he slowly revealed his steely, ruby-colored pupils with a faint hint of wonder. 

A moment later, Kai now wore a light blue shirt once he was outside with a mysterious man who had a small black tuff over his head and wore nothing but black cloaks. "Hiwatari Kai?" he asked. The young man didn't reply, but he confirmed it with a clear nod of his head. The man in black continued, "So, according to the records, you're the holder of Suzaku, the Red Phoenix of the Flame. Am I correct?" Intrigued by this man's possible objective, Kai finally spoke. "And you are?"

"They call me…'Fox,'" he replied. "The underground hunter of the Siberian Army. I'd like to play a game with you."

Kai scoffed, "Aren't you a little old for that game?"

"Does it matter? All I want is a simple duel…with Suzaku as my well-earned prize. Bring any weapon you can carry to Mt. Fuji tomorrow at noon."

Then, the man known as Fox started to walk away. But, Kai's voice stopped him. "What makes you think I'm not prepared right now? After bringing me out here this late and challenging me, I think I deserve to finish it now." Fox stood there unmoving from his current spot. He was standing so still, not turning around. Then, with a quick swing, he turned around. But, Kai was ready and pulled out his black and red Grip Shooter and prepared to release his blue Beyblade. But, he stopped as soon as a golden ray shot past his left cheek, followed by an echo of a loud gunshot. To Kai's dismay, Fox's weapon…was a long and threatening rifle!

Kai was frozen before the barrel of the deadly gun Fox wielded, unable to move as he dropped his Grip Shooter to the ground. "You thought I was talking about those…_Beybattles_?" Fox grinned hideously. Quick to hide his fear, Kai regained his silent composure. "I should've known. You didn't look the part."

"I only care about retrieving Suzaku and receiving my pay for doing so. I'm prepared to gun down anyone to do so…even a kid like you."

"That suits me just fine," Kai replied coolly, two beads of sweat falling down his left side of his face. "You'll at least be known as a ruthless bastard."

"You better believe it. Besides, I may do you a favor by killing you."

Pulling back, Fox put the gun away under his cloaks. "Your grandfather's doin' hard time, both of your parents are no longer in this world you and I live in…you're all alone. I imagine you must be tired of it all." Kai didn't reply, but his right eye briefly twitched. "But, if you can prove me wrong with that weak Beyblade of yours, perhaps you deserve to know what I'm all about." With that, Fox proceeded to walk away into the dusk of night as Kai watched him go. After he disappeared from his sight, Kai sighed as he knelt down to pick up his Grip Shooter and his Beyblade. This particular blade had three jagged, wing-like edges on the attack ring and a metallic blade base with an interchangeable blade tip. But, Kai was focused on the picture of a red phoenix with a white mane and a golden crown over its head. "_Suzaku_…"

Later, in an underground café underneath a bright restaurant building, darkness blanketed over this gothic background. There were pool tables used by few late adolescents that managed to stay out this late at night as soft, mellow music was heard all around. While others talked to each other as a group, Kai was at the bar table, alone. Now, over this light blue shirt, he wore a short dark violet jacket and a twin-tailed scarf hanging down behind him. The bartender was cleaning a glass with a wet rag while he examined his silent peer carefully. "You seem gloomier than usual," he said. "It's not like it matters, but anything you want to talk about?"

"Well," Kai began with a sigh. "I guess I've been thinking how I lived my life until now."

"I see. Just water tonight?"

"Yeah."

After the bartender went off, Kai sat up in his seat and stared up at the faint limelight above him. "When I think tomorrow's my last day of living," he thought, "it feels like I've been wasting time…doing what I do."

Then, one thought manifested itself into words. "Could my life have been any different?"

Then, a restrained laughter caught his attention. To his right, three seats down, there was a young, light-blue haired woman wearing emerald-colored pants and a blue tanktop. And much like Kai's blue shark fin-like stripes, two over each cheek, she had twin aquamarine stripes, two under each eye.

As this fetching lady continued softly laughed to herself, Kai turned towards her. "You wouldn't be laughing at me, would you?" he asked. The girl stopped laughing and waved at him. "Hey, sorry about that. I couldn't help overhearing what you were saying. Kinda reminds me of myself."

"Hmph. The last thing I need is pity from a woman," Kai scoffed while the bartender handed him his glass of water.

As he took a sip of his water, the girl walked to his side and sat in the seat beside him. "If you really think tomorrow's your last day of living, it wouldn't hurt to listen, would it? Hey, barkeep, how about some water for me, too?"

"As you wish," the bartender replied.

Disgruntled, Kai frowned at the girl beside him. "I guess I have no choice since you forced yourself on me. My name is Hiwatari Kai."

"Kai, huh?" the girl nodded. "As for me, the name's Kitsune. Nice to meet ya."

A glass of water was given to Kitsune, and as their greeting, she and Kai both clicked their glasses together in silence.

A while later, Kai and Kitsune exited the café together among other teenagers that were leaving. "Hmm. So, you live all by yourself, huh?" Kitsune said. "I suppose you've been working a lot."

"Yeah," Kai replied. "But, I don't know if it was all worth it now."

"You sound like a gun's been pointed at ya."

"Hm. Let's say that's really the case. What would _you_ do?"

After the question, Kitsune stopped walking. Kai soon stopped and turned toward her, awaiting an answer. Finally, the girl spoke. "Yeah, sure. A few times."

"Yet you still live."

"I suppose it doesn't matter…but after all that's happened to me, I couldn't let myself fall to Hell so soon. The way I live…is how I pay my respects to the dead."

"'Pay your respects?'" Kai scoffed indifferently. "When you die, it's all over."

"You're right. And that's precisely why I still live…because it means too much to me."

Kai frowned thoughtfully. "I…I guess I don't feel giving up either."

"But, whatever the situation…"

As Kai stared after her, Kitsune's blue eyes gently shimmered as she spoke to him. "The weapon you use most…is the mightiest weapon you have. Never resort to your adversary's level." Kai didn't answer, but her words wrapped around his mind and inputted a possible decision for tomorrow.

Breaking the dark mood, Kitsune grinned and turned away from Kai. "Well, I better head back," she said.

"You're leaving now?"

"A woman needs her beauty sleep, after all."

Then, Kitsune began to walk off on her own. She waved once more and said, "Take care of yourself, Hiwatari Kai." As Kai continued to stare after her, the mysterious woman named Kitsune faded into the dark shadows…

* * *

The next day, back at the Kinomiya Dojo, Takao arose from his bed and stretched out his arms with a big yawn. "Is it morning already?" he wondered. The strangely energetic young man leapt out of bed and proceeded to get dressed from the green and blue pajamas he was currently wearing. 

Outside, Takao was putting on his hat as he observed the new day with a big smile. He laughed, "Wow! I feel great today!" Then, he blinked with curiosity and scratched behind his head. "Hey, wait…" Finally, recollection of yesterday came flowing back into his mind. "_Why_ do I feel so great anyway?" he wondered. "Yesterday really took a lot out of me. So, why…?"

"Takao!"

Takao stared toward the dojo's entrance and found both Hiromi and Kyouju gawking at him with wide eyes. "Oh, hi guys," Takao greeted.

"Don't 'hi' us!" Hiromi exclaimed. "What are you doing out of bed!"

"Well, uh…"

After a short while, Takao explained everything to his bewildered friends. "So, you feel no stress or fatigue at all?" Kyouju asked.

"No," Takao answered.

"You don't even have any bruises left over from the fight last night?" Hiromi added.

"Not one. It's as if last night never happened at all."

Kyouju cleared his throat. "But, it did. Even your Holy Beast made a drastic change."

With that, Takao received his Dragoon E, and he examined his new white dragon's picture in the Bit Chip. "You're not kidding. I mean, he looks cool and everything, but how did this happen?"

"Luna submitted her very essence into Seiryuu, and that caused this peculiar evolution."

"So, Luna was a Holy Beast all this time. I had no idea Holy Beasts could do that."

"I'm pretty sure the ones we've seen couldn't. But, there had been sightings of strange, abnormal creatures around here. And that happened after the recent lunar eclipse."

"You think it's a coincidence?"

"I can't make that assumption just yet; right now, it's very possible. If only we knew the story behind it…"

Hiromi spoke up. "What about that 'Boss' character last night? He seems to know about them. And so did that soldier, Sgt. Mizuno."

Kyouju nodded, "Yes. There are two forces already at work here: one that seeks to capture the new Holy Beasts for some strange purpose and the other that seeks to destroy _all_ Holy Beasts."

"Well, how about we find Boss?" Takao asked. "At least I know where he lives and where he hangs around."

"I don't know. He seemed pretty secretive about it."

Hiromi teased, "You just want to finish your battle with him."

"What's that!" Takao grunted.

"_Anyway_," Kyouju interrupted, "Boss is the only lead we have now, so I guess we might as well track him down."

"All right! Follow me, guys; I know exactly where to go!"

"Uh, hold on a second, Takao," Hiromi murmured, her eyes hidden under her bangs.

"What?"

POW! Once again, Hiromi punched Takao upside the head! "OW! What brought _that_ on!"

Hiromi came at his face and screamed, "So, on the day of the lunar eclipse, the one that _you're_ supposed to take me to, you stood me up so you'd have a Beybattle with Boss!"

Takao gulped, "Um…well…"

"Oh, I knew it! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Then, Takao ran away in fright while the angry Hiromi chased him around the outside of the dojo. "AHHH!" Takao cried. "STOP CHASING ME, HIROMI! I JUST GOT ALL BETTER!"

"YOU'RE GONNA WISH YOU'D STAY IN BED!" Hiromi shouted back.

While that was going on, Kyouju weakly chuckled as he meekly waved at them, his weak attempt to make them stop.

* * *

On the borders of the city of Tokyo, atop a grassy hill, someone emerged from the tall trees. It was the young boy with the red hair, Sumeragi Daichi. With Tokyo right below him, he looked back and forth in wonder. "I hardly ever come to the city," he said to himself. "I hope I don't get lost." Then, he held up his right hand and observed a new Beyblade in his hand. It had a dominant purple scheme with yellow marks. The attack ring had four fin-like edges, and a secondary attack ring below it also had four, longer fin edges that emerged from in between the top edges. Also, it had a large blade base that seemed to be based on the form of a small rock… 

…_The same Beyblade was held out before Daichi in the Elder's hand. "Whoa. Why are you giving me this?" Daichi asked._

_The Elder replied, "It was your father's final Beyblade he designed before his untimely death. He wanted you to have it when you were ready. And I'm giving it to you now. This is Gaia Dragoon Earth."_

_"Gaia Dragoon…Earth?"_

_"Yes. Its special twin attack rings can grind apart any other Beyblade. And if it should hit the ground, it's able to break even the hardest of rocks."_

_"And this is…from my dad?"_

_Daichi slowly took the Beyblade out of the Elder's hands and thoughtfully stared at it. "Father…" he murmured. While he stared down the picture of a winged golden dragon with a white mane in the Bit Chip, he made a vow. "I'll dedicate this blade to you…as thanks for this gift. On your behalf, I'll become the Beyblade Champion of the World!"_

…Daichi gripped Gaia Dragoon E tightly as he remembered his sworn vow. "I'll become the greatest in the world by defeating the strongest Beybladers around! I'll show everyone the true powers of Sumeragi Daichi-sama!" Then, with a great battle cry, Daichi ran down the hill towards Tokyo…until he tripped and rolled all the way down the hill with a loud cry for help…

* * *

Far to the west of Japan, there was a small village area along one of the prosperous mountain regions of China. Among the trees, there were clear pools filled up with raging waterfalls. With the sound of the serene falls around him, a young man stood under the water meditatively. He wore nothing but his black pants as the pounding water ran down his head and bare chest. His drenched black hair had a unique white band hanging from it that held the rest of his long hair inside as to not get in the way of his training. "I figured I'd find you here," a voice said to him. The young martial artist slowly opened his golden, cat-like eyes to spot another, much taller man before him. Wearing light green pants and a white Gi with orange markings and long flaps that hung between his legs in front and behind him, the black-haired adult with a small pair of glasses over his nose smiled at the young boy. "You don't need to push yourself, Rei," he said. 

The boy answered, "I suppose you're right, Master Shishin. Besides…"

The young apprentice, Kon Rei, pulled out from under the water and stared at his master. Then, a sudden rumbling sound was heard to break their silence! Rei grinned and scratched behind his head. "…I'm kinda hungry!"

Shishin cleared his throat. "Ahem. _Yes_."

Later, inside a large house atop a mountaintop, Rei sat before a boiling pot of soup, a basket of oranges, and baked fish on sticks, slurping his lips impatiently. He clapped his hands together and properly bowed before it. "Thank you for the food!" he cheered. After giving his blessing, Rei proceeded to scarf down a single orange as he was scooping soul into a smaller bowl with a large spoon. After the second orange, he pounded over his chest to help him swallow it whole. Then, he picked up his bowl of soup and drank the whole thing down in one helping! Then, he picked up a fish on a stick and took a clean bite of half of it. And after the next bite, he picked up a large jug full of water that was sitting beside him and drank some of it to wash it all down. Then, he began to repeat everything from top to bottom once again.

On the other side of the pot of soup, Shishin was elegantly taking his time as he ate and drank in moderation. As he was eating fish, he spoke to his pupil. "Rei, how long has it been? Since you've trained under me, that is?"

Briefly taking a break from his feast, Rei answered, "A year."

"Yes, that's right. You first came here after losing the Beyblade Tournament in the semifinals last year. You were so upset at yourself."

"Yeah, but that one guy I fought was really tough. He even defeated Kinomiya Takao, so I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought back then."

"Do you think you're able to match his skills _now_?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure. He's had plenty of time to get better himself."

"For some reason, I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"Well…"

Suddenly, a whistling sound was heard outside. Interrupted from his trail of thought, Shishin stood up. "Excuse me. A letter's here." Then, he walked through the curtain door while Rei watched him go in wonder. After a short moment, Shishin walked back inside with a single envelope in hand. As he examined the sender of this letter, his steely crimson eyes gleamed through his glasses. "This is…"

"What is it, Master?" Rei wondered.

"Don't worry about it. Just finish your feast."

Then, Shishin went back outside to read his letter in peace. Rei continued to watch him in suspicion and worry. "Master?"

* * *

Back in Tokyo, Japan, Takao, Hiromi, and Kyouju walked together across the crowded sidewalk of the city. "We still don't know if Boss will tell us anything," Kyouju said. 

"Don't worry about it," Takao replied. "If he doesn't, I challenge him to a battle for some information."

"I knew you wanted to fight him again," Hiromi murmured.

"Anyway, let's check the park first. He usually blades over there."

While Hiromi continued walking off, someone reached out at her skirt and tightly pulled it and snapped it. "Ow!" Hiromi angrily turned around with overexaggerated eyes of anger and screamed, "YOU PERV!" Then, she calmed down as soon as she recognized the one who snapped her skirt. Takao and Kyouju turned around and gasped at who they saw. It was the young blond, Mizuhara Max!

Max waved to the others and spoke in his English tongue. "HEY, GUYS!"

"Max!" Kyouju exclaimed.

"So, you're back in town, huh?" Takao greeted. "Just what are _you_ doing here?"

"_Besides_ snapping girls' skirts?" Hiromi hissed.

"Aw, I couldn't help it; sorry 'bout that," Max grinned.

Then, Max reached in his pocket and pulled out the letter he received in New York City. "Actually, some guy here who goes by 'Anonymous' gave me this letter and a plane ticket, telling me to come back in Japan…and bring Genbu with me."

Kyouju gasped, "You mean someone's after _your_ Holy Beast, too! Well, I guess that makes sense."

"Do you guys have any idea what's going on?"

Takao replied, "Not quite, but we're going to find a guy who might know. Wanna come with us?"

"Sure thing. He might be the guy who gave me this letter."

"All right, let's go."

After Max joined their group, Takao and everyone made their way to the park in search of Boss.

After a while, everyone made to the park and walked along the granite pathway as they looked around. But, they seemed to be the only ones in the park, as Hiromi observed. "There's hardly anyone around. Are you sure Boss could be here this time around?"

"If he's not here, we'll try his house," Takao said. "But, he's hardly even there around this time. The park is the best bet we got."

"So, you're looking for Boss, the current Beyblade Champion, huh?" Max replied with a coy smile. "I'm guessing you want a rematch, then."

"You're just as bad as Hiromi!" Takao fussed. "I have more reason than that!"

"Hey, I, for one, would like to see him in action again. He put on quite a show in last year's final round."

"Hmph. He's not _that_ great."

A voice called out. "Hold it!"

Suddenly, Takao, Max, and the others stopped in their tracks to spot someone to their left. Standing in the left fork of the park's pathway, the young, red-haired boy, Daichi, was found panting in exhaustion. "Hey, c…can you tell me where I am?" Everyone stared at this boy with wide eyes, all caught off guard by such a painfully obvious question. "Uh, the park?" Takao murmured.

"Oh," Daichi sighed. "What's a park?"

Upon that question, everyone face-faulted onto the ground!

Moments later, on a bench nearby where they were, Daichi took a moment to rest himself and regain his strength. "So, you're not from around here, huh?" Max said.

"No. I came from a village out of the deep forests outside this city," Daichi replied.

"If you didn't know where to go, why'd you come here? Don't you have a map?" Takao said.

"Yeah. A map would be nice about now."

Takao slapped his forehead in frustration. "I can't believe this kid."

"That's pretty foolish, coming in a place you know nothing about without a map," Hiromi added.

"I don't need you to tell me that, ya old hag," Daichi grunted.

In an instant, Hiromi grabbed the young boy by his collar and angrily and violently shook him. "WHAT DID YOU SAY!" she cried.

Kyouju gulped, "Now…let him go. He just regained his strength."

Briefly dazed after Hiromi's anger attack, he blinked and noticed a white and blue Grip Shooter hanging from Takao's belt at his left side. He pulled away from the distracted Hiromi and pointed at the shooter frantically. "Hey, are you a Beyblader!"

"Well, yeah," Takao replied smugly. "Since you've been out in the wild, I guess it's no surprise that you don't know me. I happen to be Kinomiya Takao, the Beyblade Champion of the World!"

"_Former_ champion, you mean," Max murmured.

"Shut it! He doesn't have to know that!"

Daichi replied, "Beyblade Champion of the World, huh? Then..."

With that, Daichi dramatically spun around to pull out his gray ax-like Grip Shooter from his small pouch hanging behind him and fiercely attached his Gaia Dragoon E to it, holding his shooter directly at Takao. "I challenge you!" he declared.

"What!" Takao exclaimed. "Hey, wait a second! Who are you to come challenge me right after we wasted time to help you out!"

"He's right," Kyouju nodded. "We don't have time for this."

"Chickening out, huh? Yeah, you oughta be scared of me and my **_Gaia Dragoon Earth_**."

Everyone gasped upon hearing that incredulous revelation. They were all shocked to know there was another Dragoon!

"_Gaia_…Dragoon?"

Daichi nodded to confirm his claim. "Yeah, are you guys deaf or something?"

Takao exclaimed, "You're lying! I have the only Dragoon in the entire world!"

"How dare you say that to me!" Daichi shouted back. "This Gaia Dragoon was a gift from my dad! And I won't let you insult him!"

Then, the small boy grinned and chuckled to himself. "Besides, what if _your_ Dragoon is a fake?"

"What did you say!" Takao exclaimed. "All right then, I guess gotta show you the power of the _real_ Dragoon!"

"Takao, what are you doing? We gotta get going!" Kyouju pouted.

"Too late, Kyouju! I'm forced to put this kid in his place! Come on then!"

Daichi laughed, "That's more like it. Let's see if you're any match for Sumeragi Daichi-sama!"

With that, Takao pulled his Grip Shooter out from his side sheath and loaded his blue ripcord into it. Then, he pulled out his Dragoon E from his jacket's left pocket and locked it in place in the shooter. The two bladers counted down. "Three…two…one…GO! SHOOT!" With that, Takao and Daichi pulled their cords and released their Beyblades into battle.

Dragoon E was the first to go on the offensive and committed to a great dash at Daichi's blade. "Go, Dragoon!" Takao cried. Then, at the last moment, Gaia Dragoon E went at Dragoon E and instantly cut right through the silver Beyblade in a clean slash! Takao gasped, "What th…!"

"Heh. You're not so tough," Daichi grinned. "If you can't stand my _Earth Buster_ attack ring, you don't stand a chance!"

As they battled, Kyouju was already working on his laptop while Hiromi and Max both looked over his shoulder to watch. "So, what do you make of this kid, Kyouju?" Max wondered.

"I just took a picture of his Gaia Dragoon. Take a look at his parts!"

"Whoa! His attack ring…there's like _eight_ edges on it!"

"Yeah. And that's not all."

Back to the battle, when the two blades came to ahead in crescent curves, Dragoon E managed to reach under the purple blade and sent it upwards. "That's it!" Takao grinned.

"Not so fast, buddy!" Daichi exclaimed. "Drop, Gaia Dragoon!"

Gaia Dragoon E quickly fell back on the ground and crashed over it upon impact, its instant shockwave pushing Dragoon E away. Takao was bewildered of his opponent's display of power. Daichi's blade had left a fairly deep crater in the ground! Kyouju continued his observation, "His blade base is like a giant rock. If you get caught under that, your Beyblade could be crushed instantly!"

"Incredible!" Max awed.

Daichi was in awe at his Beyblade's strength. "Wow," he thought. "It's just like the Elder said."

"Ha!" Daichi laughed out loud. "My Gaia Dragoon is the greatest Beyblade in the world!"

Suddenly, Gaia Dragoon E turned around and ran towards a tree nearby. Then, it ran up its trunk until it reached one branch. It leapt off and quickly headed down towards Dragoon E. "Look out, Dragoon!" Takao cried. Dragoon E barely managed to dodge its opponent's attack and left it to crash and break the ground once again. After Dragoon E came to a halt, Takao grinned, "Don't think I won't fall for the same trick twice."

"That's okay. Third time's the charm," Daichi replied.

"What?"

Suddenly, light pierced straight through the tree Daichi climbed earlier! Then, it completely split in two and one halve of the tree came crashing down on Dragoon E!

Max and the others gasped after witnessing Daichi's surprise attack and found no trace of Dragoon E underneath the fallen tree. Daichi grinned, "So much for the Beyblade Champion of the World. I expected much more."

"Then, prepare yourself," Takao softly replied.

"Huh?"

A sudden burst of wind energy erupted from under the tree and jettisoned it high into the air! And there was Dragoon E, still spinning as if nothing happened. Daichi was in awe while the tree fell hard into a bench in the background behind him, instantly breaking it cleanly in half. "Daichi, right?" Takao smiled. "Well, prepare yourself, 'cause a storm's coming!" Dragoon E went at Gaia Dragoon E with a small aura of wind surrounding it. Gaia Dragoon managed to dodge the quick attack, but the windy aura pushed against it and shoved it away into a nearby tree, cutting straight through it. After the tree fell over, Dragoon E jumped on it and leapt again to gain higher altitude in the air. Daichi gasped, "Oh no!"

"This is it!" Takao exclaimed.

With that, the aura of wind grew larger around Dragoon as it flew down towards its opponent. It looked like the battle was over…

…Suddenly, a familiar black Beyblade flew at Dragoon E and tackled it, canceling out its attack! Takao gasped and watched as his Beyblade crashed before him and stopped spinning. Then, an orange blade dropped down and crushed Gaia Dragoon E, sending it flying back into Daichi's palm! The two boys, along with Max, Kyouju, and Hiromi, gasped once they spotted the ones who interrupted the match. It was the current Beyblade Champ, Boss, and with him was the red-haired kid who defeated Max, Alex!

"Boss!" Takao exclaimed.

Boss and Alex stood side by side as Max and the others came to Takao's side. Max gasped, "Alex! What are _you_ doing here!"

Alex replied coyly, "Max, you're here! So, you got my…invitation?"

"So, it was _you_ who gave me that letter."

"So, this Alex character's a friend of yours?" Takao asked Boss.

Boss replied, "Yes, he is. An old teammate of mine."

Angry, Daichi cried out, "Hey! How dare you punks interrupt my Beybattle!"

"We had to make you guys stop. If it were to continue, a lot more than a few trees would be destroyed by Takao's Beyblade."

"What do you mean?" Takao wondered. "Do you perhaps know something about what happened to my Holy Beast?"

"Forget it. It doesn't matter now. You just need to know that, as long as you have that beast, you will cause nothing but destruction. And because of that, the Siberian Army will be after it. They must _not_ have it!"

"The Siberian Army?" Hiromi repeated.

Kyouju thought to himself. "So, _that's_ where that man, Sgt. Mizuno, came from."

"You always have to ham it up, don't ya, BOSS man?" Alex shrugged. "Anyway, we basically can't let them have the Holy Beasts. And destroying them is the only way to protect them."

"But, Holy Beasts are living creatures, too!" Max exclaimed. "The ones we all have are our partners! You would really sacrifice them for protection?"

"I don't expect any of you to understand," Boss said. "But, I'm doing what I'm doing to protect these innocent creatures from any evil. If you continue to stand in my way, then I'll take your partner by force."

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Takao replied.

Alex looked toward Max curiously. "I suppose you feel the same way, huh, Max?"  
"Takao is my greatest rival," Max replied with a small grin. "I plan to defeat him first before I call myself the best Beyblader in the world. But, when you threaten to take my Genbu like this, I'll gladly join him to prove to you that we can protect all Holy Beasts."

"Max," Takao awed. "All right, then let's do it…together!"

With that, Max pulled out his green Custom Grip shooter and red ripcord from under his jacket. Next, he revealed his Draciel Endless and secured it into his shooter, holding it before him. Takao picked up his Dragoon E, reattached it to his shooter, and stood by Max as they both were ready to release their Beyblades. Then, suddenly, Daichi ran to Takao's side with his gear and took it upon himself to join the battle. Takao scowled, "What are you doing, kid!"

"I'll get _you_ later!" Daichi replied. "Right now, I wanna make them both pay for screwing up our match!"

"Whatever. Just stay out of my way."

Alex chuckled as he playfully tugged his hat downward. "Three-on-two, huh? That's not very fair."

"It's fine," Boss whispered to him. "The kid has a Holy Beast as well. This way, we'll kill three birds with two stones."

"I don't think that analogy's exactly right," Alex replied, "but didn't you want to avoid provoking Takao's evolved Holy Beast?"

"We'll just have to finish it quickly now, won't we?"

"You always wanna do it the hard way. All right…"

Finally, Boss and Alex simultaneously twirled around their Grip Shooters in their left hands and grasped it in coordination as they hooked their Beyblades into them. Hiromi looked on as Kyouju prepared to study the five Beyblades simultaneously on his laptop. "Three…two…one…"

All five bladers declared the match and began the battle. "GO! SHOOT!"

With all five blades released, Dragoon, Draciel, and Gaia Dragoon went at their opponents in a straight line. "Let me pull up first!" Max declared. With that, Draciel E pulled up in front and went at the two opposing chargers. Alex grinned and silently allowed his Red Salamander Atlas to come at Draciel E. As the massive green giant came at the thin orange Beyblade, it looked like Draciel would easily crush it! But, a sudden beam of red light struck! Alex was behind Max with an extended right arm, and Max was in shock as the red beam passed straight through him. Red Salamander A veered to the left as Draciel E was sent into midair, stunned from the sudden attack. Distracted by Max's failed attack, both Takao and Daichi weren't prepared when Boss ordered his Absolute Kerberous to veer to the right, dashing clean through both Dragoon and Gaia Dragoon with little effort! The boys gasped as their blades landed on the ground, barely keeping their wounded balance.

After that first opening attack, Hiromi was left in confusion. "Hey, Kyouju, what just happened?"

Kyouju replied, "Max had the right idea to come out first with a defensive attack, so Takao and Daichi would have an opportunity to attack. But, Alex saw it coming and commanded his blade to run underneath Draciel Endless to send it into the air, leaving Takao and Daichi no time to call back their charge."

As the trio stopped to regain their bearings, Boss and Alex's blades circled around to reunite and spin alongside each other. Max made an observation. "This is gonna be tougher than I thought. It seems like they bladed together before. That puts us in a real disadvantage."

"Come on, Max! We know how both our moves work, right?" Takao exclaimed. "We can work together just as well as they can! All we need to worry about is the monkey boy here."

Daichi growled, "Hey! Why are you leaving me out of your praises!"

"Well, can you learn to work with us?"

"What do ya think I've been doin' since this match started!"

"Then, let's get 'em, Daichi!"

"All right!"

Dragoon and Gaia Dragoon then took off into battle once more. But, instead of Absolute Kerberous, they both tackled into Red Salamander A! The two blades shoved and smashed into the orange blade while it tried to keep up the defense. "Oh boy!" Alex gulped.

"Don't worry. I'm coming," Boss replied.

But, as the dog of Hell, Absolute Kerberous, went to help his ally, the giant Black Turtle of Water, Genbu, suddenly appeared in his way! Draciel E blocked Absolute Kerberous' way to get to Red Salamander A and guarded it from each direction it tried to take. Kyouju nodded, "I get it. They realize that Boss and Alex work well as a team, so they separated them."

"Nice going, boys!" Hiromi cheered.

As Dragoon and Gaia Dragoon kept pushing, Alex grunted in intimidation. "Not a bad counterassault, I'll give you that much. But…!" Upon that exertion of stamina, Red Salamander A suddenly stopped in place and managed to subdue its opponents' doubled attack power. "What!" Takao and Daichi exclaimed.

"Things are about to heat up from here on out!" Alex declared.

Next, Red Salamander A began to summon a fiery aura around itself, and the flames suddenly burst into a giant firewall, easily slamming both Dragoon and Gaia Dragoon away! Takao grunted, "Oh man!"

"That's some powerful defense there!" Daichi awed.

Meanwhile, Absolute Kerberous danced around Draciel E as they clashed together. Then, as Draciel E went at it, it went straight through the afterimages Absolute Kerberous suddenly left behind! Boss quickly slid across the ground and spun around on his left hand, directing a fierce sweep kick! Reacting to Boss' movement, Absolute Kerberous spun around and smashed into Draciel E hard, sending it flying into yet another nearby tree and cutting it down. Hit hard from the great blow, Max was pushed off his feet, and he flew back onto the ground. After rebounding with their own counterattack, Boss and Alex reunited, once again gaining the lead over their opponents.

Takao and Daichi both grunted in frustration while Max got back on his feet. Kyouju began to sweat as he looked at the statistics. "Unbelievable power. They're too strong," he murmured.

Boss scoffed, "Why don't you give up now? Anymore and we'll eventually break your blades."

Daichi panted wearily, "Heh! I'm…not finished yet."

"Me neither," Takao added. "We can't afford to lose to you."

"Not with our Holy Beasts on the line," Max agreed.

Alex shrugged, "Stubborn to the very end. Kinda reminds me of ourselves sometimes."

"You had your chance," Boss sighed. "Let's end this, Alex."

Absolute Kerberous and Red Salamander Atlas charged together, and they both passed straight through Gaia Dragoon E and threw high into the air. Daichi gasped, "Gaia Dragoon!"

"They sent that blade way higher than I did, even if _I_ had a partner!" Takao gasped.

"Now, for you, Max!" Alex declared.

A small red ball of energy appeared inside Alex's open hands. Then, after a brief moment, it ignited into a huge flame! Alex grasped it and twirled around once with it before directing his fiery palm before him. "_Bomb Flare!_" The flame shot from Alex's hand and flew at its target as a fiery snake-like Holy Beast, the actual Red Salamander, twirled around it with bared fangs. The burning Beyblade went after Draciel E and threatened to finish it off. But, Max prepared a counter move. "Oh no, you don't!"

In desperation, Max threw himself backward over a raging blue ocean. After he retracted his arms and legs to his upper body, geysers of water shot from the ocean and twirled around his person. With Genbu roaring behind him, Max threw his arms and legs outward and cried, "_Endless Reflect!_" The water from the geysers came together at one point and surrounded Max to form a large blue bubble shield. Finally, it expanded outwards to grow even bigger!

Red Salamander A crashed into the shield and was gradually pushed back as it grew, canceling out its attack. "What!" Alex gasped.

"Alex!" Boss stared in disbelief.

"I told you," Daichi said with a sly grin, "I'm not finished yet!"

From high in the air, Gaia Dragoon E came plummeting down towards Absolute Kerberous, completely recovered from the last attack.

With his Holy Beast, Gaia Dragoon, behind him, Daichi roared as a large golden aura erupted around him, raising several rocks from the ground and to the sky. Then, he leapt into the air using his Gaia Dragoon as his wings while his power transferred into one spot, his right fist. "_Earth Quake!_" Then, he quickly landed on the ground and ran his fist into the ground the moment Gaia Dragoon Earth impacted the ground, creating a large quake oriented of pure lightning and rock energy!

The shockwave from the massive quake Daichi created disturbed Absolute Kerberous' balance on the ground and soon propelled it into the air. While the dark blade flew into the air, Daichi looked up at it with a satisfied grin. "That's what you get," he chuckled.

"You still haven't defeated me, kid," Boss replied.

"You forgot about me already?" Takao suddenly cried out.

"Oh no!"

Boss looked up and found that Dragoon E had climbed up another tree and leapt off a branch to be right above Absolute Kerberous as it was coming right at it. "Now's a good time as any to test out Seiryuu's new power," Takao thought. "I hope it doesn't go out of control."

Opposite from each other, the moon began to overlap with the bright sun. Before it came to be a full eclipse, Takao flew before it as a transparent image of large white wings appeared across his back. As those wings folded inward to guard him, he soon disappeared completely after the eclipse was complete. Four white feathers elegantly blew past in silence. "_Eclipse Hurricane!_" Then, from the darkness, a random storm of great wind energy erupted as a roaring white dragon with four massive wings flew through the middle of it with a powerful battle cry!

Due to an unpredictable attack from the darkness of the eclipse, Absolute Kerberous was unable to avoid the wave of wind energy and got itself caught in it. Still retaining his wings, Takao flew downward and threw his right first forward. "GO!" With that, Dragoon E reappeared and rode the windy current to fly down at Absolute Kerberous, threatening to tackle it hard onto the ground below! Seeing that he was about to lose, Boss tightly closed his right fist and looked up with a glare of rage as great violet energy exploded around his body! "ABSOLUTE KERBEROUS!" Boss' Beyblade began to glow with intense dark power, and this very power began to pollute the white energy around it. The three heads of the demonic dog, Kerberous, roared fiercely as the white Seiryuu came at it in a great clash. Upon impact of both Beyblades, a huge burst of light carpeted the entire battleground…

…As the light quickly dissipated, Dragoon E and Absolute Kerberous both landed on the ground together, both forced into another stalemate. And nearby, Draciel and Gaia Dragoon spun before Red Salamander A defiantly, awaiting their next move. Kyouju was speechless for a moment, along with Hiromi. "This is unbelievable. They're completely even. And Takao seems to have his new powers under control." Takao took his right fist into his left palm and cracked his knuckles with a big grin. "Not bad," he replied.

"I guess you lacked the proper motivation when I defeated you before," Boss laughed. "Maybe I _haven't_ exactly defeated you yet."

"Ready for round two?"

"Of course. Ready, Alex?"

Alex nodded silently with his trademark grin. Daichi and Max also got ready to resume their Beybattle…

* * *

Outside the border of Tokyo, the youth named Kai stood before the panorama of Mt. Fuji far in the distance. That was where his pursuer told him to meet at precisely noon. He held his right hand and stared thoughtfully at his Beyblade as Kitsune's thoughts repeated through his mind. _"The weapon you use most…is the mightiest weapon you have. Never resort to your adversary's level."_

"If we both want to live," Kai murmured, "we mustn't fail, even if we have to fight dirty, **_Dranzer Eternal_**."

With that, Kai pocketed his blade and marched on to make his way to Mt. Fuji…and face his upcoming life-or-death struggle…

* * *

**_NEXT TIME… _**

_Takao: Kai…_

_Kai: Kinomiya…we meet again. Forget it; I can't join your team._

_Takao: But, Kai! We're both fighting for the same reasons!_

_Kai: Don't be a fool. I'm fighting…only to see that girl again. This…Kitsune…_

_Takao: But, even Rei refuses to join us! We need both of your help to prove our Holy Beasts' right to live!_

**_"Saint Generations A"_**

_Rei: I promised…not to tell…anyone._


	3. Saint Generations A

…After the light quickly dissipated, Dragoon Eclipse and Absolute Kerberous both landed on the ground together, both forced into another stalemate. And nearby, Draciel and Gaia Dragoon spun before Red Salamander A defiantly, awaiting their next move. Kyouju was speechless for a moment, along with Hiromi. "This is unbelievable. They're completely even. And Takao seems to have his new powers under control." Takao took his right fist into his left palm and cracked his knuckles with a big grin. "Not bad," he replied.

"I guess you lacked the proper motivation when I defeated you before," Boss laughed. "Maybe I _haven't_ exactly defeated you yet."

"Ready for round two?"

"Of course. Ready, Alex?"

Alex nodded silently with his trademark grin. Daichi and Max also got ready to resume their Beybattle.

But, suddenly, a figure in a jacket caught Boss' eye. He looked toward the park's entrance as the silhouetted figure disappeared from his sight. But, he seemed to recognize it. "Forget it, Alex," he ordered. "We'll finish this later."

"Huh? What's this all of a sudden?" Alex wondered.

Takao and the others were just as surprised to hear Boss' plan to retreat. "Are you guys chickening out!" Daichi exclaimed.

Takao agreed. "You can't leave yet! Weren't you after our Holy Beasts? Finish what you started!"

But, Boss and Alex ignored them as they whispered amongst themselves. After explaining himself, Alex's eyes reflected a state of understanding. He might consider withdrawing as well. The red-haired boy chuckled uneasily and turned to his opponents. "After hearing what my old pal has to say, we have to get going now. Sorry we can't stay."

"But, you…!" Takao grunted.

"That's enough," Boss snorted strictly. "I'll come after you again later. It's just that my old team has just become one ally stronger."

"What? You mean there are _more_ of you guys!"

"If you want to see, come to Mt. Fuji. You might find one of your old friends there as well. But, regardless of whether he joins you or not, _my_ friend is _much_ stronger."

"Let's hurry up!" Alex said impatiently.

"Patience."

With that, Boss and Alex summoned their respective Beyblades in their palms and quickly ran off. Again, the Beybattle was left unfinished.

Steam blew out of Takao's ears as he tightened his fists in irritation. "He did it again…" he growled.

Kyouju murmured bluntly, "He sure likes to avoid Takao a lot."

"H…he just knew I was gonna win in the end! Yeah, that's it!" Takao boasted halfheartedly.

"Mt. Fuji, huh?" Max wondered. "Sounds exciting. I wonder what old friend Boss was speaking of. Alex was particularly excited about it."

"Let's just hurry and get over there!" Daichi pouted.

"What a minute," Takao frowned. "_You're_ coming with us? I don't think so, kid."

"I'm gonna go anyway! I wanna finish our battle!"

Hiromi exclaimed, "He's just gonna come whether he's with us or not! Quit wasting time!"

"Tch! Whatever!" Takao sighed, rolling his eyes. "Let's go!"

Finally, Takao and company ran off, their next destination: Mt. Fuji…

**_Beyblade Lunar Eclipse_**

**_Episode 3: "Saint Generations A"_**

Far outside the borders of Tokyo, there was but one mountain. Its rocky body scaled up to what seemed to be miles, and its powerful heat from the inside could easily be detected from one yard. It was a calm volcano, one of the biggest attractions Japan had to offer, Mt. Fuji.

At the bottom of Mt. Fuji's base, Kai stood silently as he faced his pursuer from before, Fox. The man in black cloaks sneered, "So, you've come…and with that little toy of yours?" Kai briefly tightened his grip over his Beyblade before he installed it into his shooter. "You want to see how much of a 'toy' it is?" he replied.

"How futile. I guess you really want to die. So be it."

Several feet away from each other, Kai and Fox stared each other down quietly and soundlessly, as if they were in the middle of an old western showdown. The two men continued standing there, no sign of movement. Unnervingly, they awaited their right moment to attack. Seconds seemed like minutes, and the minutes became hours. As the sun hung from the highest pinnacle in the sky, Kai and Fox waited…and waited…

…There was a gunshot! Fox had quickly pulled a gun and shot at Kai, sending him off his feet! But, the young man miraculously recovered and landed on his feet, with a shooter and ripcord in each hand. He had released his Beyblade. In a flash, Dranzer Eternal flew through the air and struck right through Fox's rifle, destroying it! The force from Kai's blow blew Fox down to the ground as Dranzer E continued to spin beside him. With just his will to live and a spinning top, Kai had won.

The threat over, Kai walked over the fallen assassin and summoned Dranzer E back into his hand. Fox gasped and panted exuberantly as he held a switch box in his hand. "Defeated…by a…spinning top…? Pa…thetic…" He flipped the switch, and suddenly, his body disappeared inside a great explosion. He had activated an explosive mechanism he had underneath his cloaks and blew himself up!

As the smoke from the explosion flew to the skies, Kai witnessed everything with an unphased visage and sighed as he held Dranzer E in his hand. "Even if it's to extend my life a bit more," Kai murmured, "I still want to live."

"I'm glad you listened to me," a familiar voice called.

Kai immediately turned around and spotted a familiar figure standing on a small ledge protruding from Mt. Fuji. Wearing tight navy blue jeans and a long black jacket hanging over her scantily-short blue tank top was the woman Kai met the night before, Kitsune!

Kai frowned slightly at his unexpected guest. Kitsune retained her smile as she said, "I knew that somehow you would defeat that fake."

"Kitsune…you have a _real name_, right?" Kai replied.

"Kitsune _is_ my real name. But, my Beyblade alias is 'Fox.'"

Knowing the truth, Kai briefly twitched. "So, _you're_ the real Fox. Who was he, then? Your flunky?"

The girl replied, "Would a young woman like me have an old man as a flunky? Heh. No, he's a member of the Siberian Army that I've embarrassed the same way you just did so long ago. He used my alias to remind himself of the humiliation and force him to become a better assassin. But, he was nothing to you, and he chose to die."

Kitsune, "Fox," then proceeded to pull out a golden Beyblade with four lightning-shaped blades along the attack ring and a flat blade base to make it truly small. In the Bit Chip, there was a picture of a yellow, twin-tailed fox with long ears, a jewel-encrusted bracelet around each leg, and a black crest with a giant emerald inside it around its neck that connected to the small plate of armor over its back in which carried a set of rod-shaped 'wings.' As she held her blade to Kai, the true Fox silently declared her challenge. "Will _you_ choose to die if you insist on holding to your Holy Beast?"

"I won't die, Kitsune…no. FOX!"

Without warning, Kai threw his shooter before him and released Dranzer E at her with great force!

As Dranzer E headed towards her, Fox quickly locked in her Beyblade into her white Grip Shooter and quickly released it. The blade connected with Dranzer E, created an enormous shockwave upon impact! Fox leapt out of the way before the power completely shattered the ledge she stood on. She landed on the ground before Kai as their two blades landed in front of them in a stalemate. "Watch it," Fox said. "We're right next to a volcano, you know. Or do you want to live dangerously?" Suddenly, a burst of red light flashed from Fox's Beyblade and pushed Dranzer E backwards instantly! Kai clenched his teeth as the breeze from that attack blew through his scarf. "You're playing with the wrong person." Then, after Kai took one step, Dranzer E suddenly appeared right next to the golden Beyblade and struck it hard. The wind from the blow rushed against Fox's side, but she only replied with a smile. "Not bad. But, just wait and see how dangerous **_Vyx Amethyst_** and I really are." With that, Vyx A circled around and came at Dranzer E once more. The two blades came at a grinding impact and ran through the rocky terrain quite easily. Fox still grinned and only waved her hand past her face to tell Vyx A to smash Dranzer E backward once again. Kai retained his composure as he thought to himself. "I can tell that she's still playing with me. Then again, so am I. But…" Kai looked directly at Fox, her face to be more precise. "That face…what is it about her that stirs my mind?"

* * *

Deep below the world above the ground, a large subway train ran quickly across the tracks to its destination. Inside one of the train's cars, Takao and the others sat together on the long red seats. Daichi was looking out the window in awe. "Wow! This is _so_ cool!" 

"This kid needs to get out more," Takao murmured.

"This train's stopping just on the outskirts of Shinjuku, right?" Hiromi asked Kyouju.

"Yes. Then, I guess we can take a bus the rest of the way."

"You think everything's starting already?" Max wondered.

"There's no way Boss and Alex made it there already," Takao said. "I bet we'll be just in time."

Suddenly, outside the subway, a brief, small quake past through, catching everyone off-guard! Daichi was thrown off balance and he crashed head-first on the floor. "OW! Was that an earthquake!"

"It felt small, but it was definitely a tremor of some kind," Kyouju explained.

"Man, what could be going on up there?" Takao wondered.

* * *

Side by side, Dranzer Eternal and Vyx A scaled the surface of Mt. Fuji, easily burrowing through the rough rocks in their path. As they climbed up the mountainside, they came together to briefly clash with one another, their energies giving off in intense lightning. Then, after Vyx A went to attack again, Dranzer E suddenly disappeared before the yellow blade connected. Fox looked up and spotted Kai and his Beyblade dramatically fly into the air above her. Kai waved his hand through his scarf's twin tails, directing Dranzer E to plummet downward, spinning around like a quick meteor. Fox and Vyx A leapt away as the blue blade crashed on the mountainside, creating a large tremor along it. The force from the attack stunned Fox's blade, and Dranzer E took the opportunity to rush in for the strike. But, Vyx A was quick to recover and spun around Dranzer E once it came close and struck it hard from behind, sending it crashing into the rocks once again. Kai frowned slightly in frustration while Fox stared him down with a serious visage. "It's strange," Kai thought. "It's almost as if we fight the same. But, what matters is that she's quicker than I thought." 

"Pretty good," Fox thought. "That attack he attempted would have hurt. I can't afford to be careless like that again."

With that, Fox quickly went onto the offensive and ran at Kai, catching him off guard. Kai managed to jump to his right to avoid the girl's strike with her right hand. Reenacting the sudden attack, Dranzer E fell back to its right as Vyx A went by it. While it seemed that Kai managed to get away, Fox flashed a victorious grin as she directed one finger of her left hand to touch his chest within seconds. Suddenly, a powerful wave of energy made a great impact on Kai's person and sent him flying backward! And just the same, a wave of energy burst from Vyx A's side and pushed against Dranzer E, shoving it high into the air!

Kai landed on his back and bounced off it once before stopping. Right behind his head, Dranzer E barely landed on the ground, still spinning but severely wobbling. Kai slowly sat up and rose to his feet before he clenched his teeth before his opponent. "What was…!" he thought. Fox held up her left hand and found that there was a small light green jewel engraved into the back of her gloved fist. "My left hand is a dangerous tool but a great weapon," she declared. "Let me show you." Upon that declaration, Fox thrust her left palm to the rocky surface underneath her and red, sparkling energy suddenly erupted from the jewel on her hand. The energy fueled Vyx A's own energy until its aura was completely red like fire. In a great flash of light, Vyx A dashed forward in blinding speed and struck Dranzer E hard, briefly sending it into the air! In reaction, the force from the attack struck Kai in his right arm, causing him to cry out in stinging pain. He grunted, "That felt hot!" The blazing Vyx A came back around and tackled Dranzer E, grinding hard as its powerful heat wore its opponent down. Kai observed, "I was right. Fox used some kind of magic to allow her Beyblade to be energized by the heat from Mt. Fuji. If that's the case…" Kai took a stiff, meditative stance and roared to summon more of his strength. His battle cry gave more life to his Beyblade as it managed to force Vyx A away from it. Dranzer E then exploded into a bush of wild fire, reacting to Kai's crimson aura that roared around his very person. "GO! DRANZER ETERNAL!" The magnificent battle aura suddenly expanded into an enormous cylinder of blazing fire as the Red Phoenix of Fire, Suzaku, shrieked behind him. "Let's see your potential in one single power struggle," Fox grinned. "VYX AMETHYST, ATTACK NOW!" As she pulled her left hand around in a circle before sending it over her head, Fox's own flame energy twirled around her until she was completely engulfed by a raging crematorium. The golden fox Holy Beast, Vyx, ran through the firewall and howled as she went at Suzaku in one last attack.

After a burst of light once both Holy Beasts met, Kai and Fox met in a tremendous energy struggle, each one using one hand. In the middle of them, their Beyblades grinded against each other, both determined to push the other back into defeat. The powerful winds rushed against Kai as he held his right palm before him. Then, with one battle cry, he sent a sudden shockwave against Fox's face! The young girl barely flinched, however, and returned the invisible attack with her own cry. The shock struck Kai in his own face, but he was quick to try that same move again. After each one of these silent waves, one blade would smash attack the other and took the brief moment of weakness to shove it back. Dranzer E performed this movement, but Vyx A would always retaliate with the same tactic. Another unseen wave struck Fox in her face while her eyes were shut, but it looked to have no effect. Kai groaned as he mustered all his power to push her back, but he soon made an observation. "What's she doing? She's not even trying anymore. Wait…" Kai heard something. It sounded like…a whisper. He looked toward Fox and found that she bowed down her head to hide away her moving lips. "…_ask that you come forth to deliver thou's almighty fist. Heed me now, the holder on the pact…_"

"What th…!" Kai gasped.

All of a sudden, the fire roared larger around Fox while a giant, fox-like figure, different from Vyx A, took its shape in the flames! Then, a massive force of power erupted and easily overcame both Kai and Dranzer E, pushing them back! Kai fell onto his back again, but this time, Dranzer E landed on the ground and ceased spinning.

The battle over, Fox relaxed and summoned her Beyblade to return to her hand. Kai remained on the ground, seemingly unconscious from the last attack. Fox walked to his side and looked over his peaceful face while he slept. She shook her head in exasperation and sighed, "You put in too much energy at once. You should've survived that attack. How are you going to protect that Holy Beast if you go about all your battles that way?" She looked down toward Kai's Dranzer Eternal and stared at Suzaku's picture in the Bit Chip silently. It looked as if she might take Suzaku away, but she also looked as if she was _thinking_ about it.

But, before she could collect her thoughts, a generic gray Beyblade flew through the air without warning and crashed onto the ground in between Fox and Kai! Fox didn't flinch by the surprise attack and quickly turned around toward the mountainside of Mt. Fuji to find a green-haired military soldier that used a rifle as a Beyblade launcher. The rank on his shoulders was also that of a sergeant, just like Mizuno from before. The soldier laughed derisively as he held his gun along his shoulder. "Impressive composure! I definitely see the resemblance!"

Fox frowned silently. "Pretty dirty of you to shoot from behind. It would even more dirty if you tried to _hit_ me with that."

"I'm like you; I enjoy Beyblading! To take you down so quickly would be boring!"

"Hmph. You comparing yourself to me? With lowdown tactics like that, you don't need to much less touch a Beyblade, never mind saying that you're the same as I am. Now, just _who_ are you?"

"The name's Sgt. Inada; I'm a Siberian soldier sent to keep an eye on that nameless assassin, but apparently I was right when I said he couldn't compare to the _real_ Fox. Now, how about a _real_ fight?"

Fox scoffed, "Sorry, _Inada_. But, I've no time for petty games."

"I'm pretty sure you'll like _this_ game. Let's see the great Fox deal with _all of us_!"

Suddenly, from the other side of Mt. Fuji, multiple Siberian soldiers appeared one by one or one group after another! They came from all sides while Fox continued to stand her ground, her eyes shifting back and forth to see how many came out. From behind the mountain, the trees, and leaping from mountain ledges, several Siberian army men completely surrounded both Fox, all holding a rifle-based Beyblade launcher aimed at her!

Nearby atop a mountain ledge, two familiar figures watched the imminent battle. It was Kon Rei and his master, Shishin, both holding a long, white bag full of their personal belongings over their shoulders. "Whoa!" Rei gasped. "That looks like trouble! Shouldn't we help?"

"That's all right," Shishin replied calmly. "Kitsune can take care of herself."

"You know her?"

"Yes."

Rei looked back toward the large confrontation and noticed Kai resting at Fox's feet. He gasped, "Hey, isn't that…?"

Back to the base of Mt. Fuji, Kai's body finally began to show signs of movement. The youth slowly stood on his knees as he stopped to recollect himself. He looked up and gasped once he saw a great wall of Siberian soldiers before him. "Counting the lead man himself," Fox spoke to him, "I'd say there's about a **hundred** of 'em. Kai, pick up your blade. After I release my Beyblade, I'll make a path for you to get out of my way. Got it?" Skeptically but without question, Kai picked up his Dranzer E and stood back up on his feet. "You seriously plan to fight all of them yourself?" he asked.

Fox grinned, "Hmph. When you're at _my_ skill, even _you_ can do it. Just keep quiet and watch."

With that, Fox turned back toward a fraction of the enormous group of soldiers and installed her Vyx Amethyst into her Grip Shooter. "One minute is all it will take."

Fox leapt into the air and cried, "GO! SHOOT!" With one quick pull, she fired her Vyx A toward the ground below her. Immediately, the Siberian soldiers pulled the triggers of their rifles, and several gray Beyblades were fired toward the air. As it flew downward in incredible speed, Vyx A regained its crimson aura and dashed through the ascending shower of Beyblades, ramming them aside as it continued its course toward the ground. Upon impact, a large cloud of debris took form and blanketed the battlefield. As the soldiers tried to find their way out the clouds, Kai took his chance to run by them and make his escape to safer ground. The soldiers coughed as they tried to wave away the dark clouds around them with their arms. But, a sudden breath of wind blew by and instantly cleared the field. They managed to recollect their bearings and found Fox and her Vyx A silently standing among a sea of Beyblades. Kai watched the inevitable struggle from a rock ledge above it and stared down at Fox with faint curiosity. "Hundred in one minute..." he thought. Down below, Fox cracked her knuckles and popped the muscles in her neck. Without any words, the soldiers cried out and directed their blades to come at Vyx A!

Fox gathered some of her energy through a battle cry and ran forward. Vyx A dashed forward at the large army of Beyblades in reply. In response to a wave of Fox's hand, Vyx A drilled straight through one blade and destroyed it! One blade came on the offensive, but the golden Beyblade flew to the side to dodge it and break through three blades at once. Fox formed her fingers like claws from a real fox and used them to slash straight through the myriad groups of soldiers in one blow. One soldier went at her with a self-taught backhand swipe, but she ducked under it and thrust one foot into his gut. Then, she spun around and performed a flying roundhouse kick that took out four of them at once. She threw one elbow into another beside her and kicked him into a group of six more soldiers, knocking them all over. In reply to every maneuver, Vyx A ran through them, dodged and countered them, and threw them into other blades to take more than one out in one blow. Bits and pieces of Beyblades flew on the ground as well as fallen bodies of their corresponding bladers. Soon, there were only 80 blades left.

More gray Beyblades went on the attack, but Vyx A easily broke through them with its quick agility and raw strength. Two blades came at Vyx A, but the gold Beyblade circled around them and sent them into the air with an attack from behind. Vyx A grinded against a few individual blades and helped disintegrate them one after another. Soon, six came to grind it at all sides, but a sudden pulse of red energy echoed around it and shattered them instantly! The golden blade was nothing but a quick golden streak of light as it ran by 10 blades through the middle and eight more after its awesome energy burst from it and threw them into the air in pieces. With no sign of losing spin power as the battle went on, the blazing Vyx A tackled five more and ran off to attack the remaining 50.

Fox delivered two well-placed kicks against two Siberian soldiers each. Her 'claws' roared with fiery energy of her own and pulled them through the bodies of four more men. One soldier even came at her from behind, but Fox swiftly turned and direct one slash upward, the transparent image of a claw driving right through him that made him collapse backward. With only 43 left, the remaining soldiers were hesitant to approach the incredible Fox. Fox stood her ground, waiting for anyone else to come at her. As silence briefly became the battle, the soldier nervously waited for that one chance that she would let her guard down. Suddenly, one from her left came at her with a right hook, but Fox anticipated it and slapped him aside. It became silent again for one last moment until one soldier in front of her attacked. Fox caught the kick he threw at her and threw him down on the ground. Three more came at her from behind, but she spun around again and pulled her magical slash right through them. Then, with one great cry, she threw her fist to the ground. Once she made her impact to the ground, an enormous pillar of flames erupted from her, consuming several more soldiers in her burning light. In reply, Vyx A's similar aura expanded a few meters and completely destroyed eight more Beyblades. Now, only 30 more remained.

After calling back her energy back in her, Fox and Vyx A ran at the middle of the remaining soldiers and their Beyblades. Surrounded, Fox only grinned. "Now, for the rest of you…"

Holding her left hand in front of her, the aquamarine jewel on the back of her hand glowed with brilliant orange colors until sun-colored magic sparked from it. With blazing magic power in her hand, she pulled her arm to the side, creating long ribbon-like streaks of deadly fire around her. As she finally threw her hand above her head, she cried out, "_Amethyst Enigma!_" Finally, a raging wave of fiery magic roared around Fox until she was completely engulfed within the crematorium. The golden fox Holy Beast, Vyx, ran through the firewall with a great howl, coming to attack.

The blazing Vyx A flew among the circle of Beyblades and performed radically fast zigzag dashes through it. Once it went by in one complete circle, the golden blade came back to the center and continued to spin there while its aura finally dissipated. It appeared as if the attack hadn't done anything damaging to the other Beyblades, because they all continued to spin. Fox relaxed among the bewildered crowd of soldiers and held up her left hand to put her thumb and middle finger together. Finally, after one single snap, the remaining gray Beyblades all exploded into thousands of pieces! In less than one minute, the battle was over.

The rest of the soldiers fell to their knees in shock from their defeat. Observing no signs of battle continuation, Fox once again summoned Vyx A into her hand. Still standing on the side of Mt. Fuji, Sgt. Inada was left with his jaw hanging open. But, he quickly regained his composure and laughed, "That was **absolutely incredible**! So, this is the great Fox I've heard so much about!" Fox exhaled once more to relax herself and turned toward her adversary, pointing at him defiantly. "Playtime is over," Fox declared. "And with five seconds to spare."

From up above, Kai stared down at Fox with visual awe in his eyes. "Such power," he thought. "Hard to believe she was concealing that much against _me_. But, the thing is…her style of Beybattling is faintly similar to my own…" Footsteps from behind pulled Kai from his thoughts, and he looked over his shoulder and found Rei walking to his side. "She's good, huh?" he greeted.

Kai turned away and scoffed, "Hmph. I suppose."

Rei chuckled, "You're doing well, I see."

Sgt. Inada leapt down from the side of Mt. Fuji and stood before Fox with an interested grin. "You are indeed well-trained in the arts of Beyblade. I can't wait to spin my blade against yours."

Fox crossed her arms and replied, "Heh. After seeing me take down a hundred blades, you _still_ want to battle me. Can _you_ even do that? Or was this all a ruse just to weaken my Beyblade?"

"You accuse me of so much," Inada laughed. "What do _you_ believe my intentions were?"

"_I_ think it's a ruse, you coward!" a voice called out.

Everyone, including Kai and Rei, looked to the left to find someone standing on another rock ledge with arms crossed. It was Boss!

The mysterious colored Beyblade Champion stood defiantly over Sgt. Inada with a sharp, accusing stare while Fox seemed surprised to see him. "You, huh?" she replied quietly.

"Well, well, if it isn't the boy that gave Mizuno a hard time," Inada replied. "**Uehara Banken**, wasn't it?"

"That's right," Boss replied, confirming his real name. "But, it really doesn't matter. If you want to battle her, you'll have to go through me."

"I'll second that as well."

Then, the crimson-maned boy, Alex, suddenly appeared at Boss' right side. When she laid eyes on him, Fox didn't form a different expression over her face, but she slightly blushed unbeknownst to herself. "Yaa-ho! Kitsune!" Alex exclaimed.

Fox sighed, "Stay focused, Alexander."

"Right, right. Now then, ya military dog, you best duck back into your doghouse before you _really_ make the _'Masters'_ and this other one mad."

Boss scoffed, "Ahem! Who are you calling 'this other one?'"

Sgt. Inada shrugged indifferently as he held his Bey-rifle at the two boys. "I see all three of you are real good friends. Fine; I'll take on all three of you."

"That's enough, Inada," a fourth voice called.

After hearing that voice, Inada finally dropped his composure and turned around nervously. Right behind him, the black-haired Chinese martial artist, Shishin, appeared with his arms behind his back. Boss and Alex gasped, "Shishin-sensei!"

"In person," Shishin replied with a wide grin.

Instantly intimidated by his very person, Inada's body suddenly shook as if he was cold and frozen. "**Ou Shishin**… I had no idea you were…"

"Leave now," the steely man demanded. "And tell your leader…_I'm_ here."

"Uh, yeah. Sure, anything you say. Men, get back up now and retreat!"

During the whole conversation, all the soldiers Fox defeated recovered one by one and sat back up. After hearing their orders, they all ran off quickly without question. While they all were setting out, Sgt. Inada turned to Shishin and declared, "We'll be back. Just you wait." Then, he joined the crowd of soldiers, and eventually they all disappeared from everyone's sight. That one threat was finally over…for now.

After everything had calmed down, Boss and Alex ran to Fox's side, and all three of them confronted Shishin. "I didn't think you would come!" Boss said.

"Well, I did, didn't I?" Shishin replied. "But, it appears that at least one of you can take care of yourself. Eh, Kitsune?"

"_Kitsune_ did all this?" Alex gasped, staring at all the shattered pieces of Beyblades carpeting the rocky ground. "INCREDIBLE."

Fox shrugged modestly. "Anyway, Shishin, looks like your _reputation_ still haunts that persistent army."

Shishin nodded, "I suppose."

"Master!"

Shishin and the others turned around to find Rei running to them while Kai slowly followed behind. "Master?" Boss and Alex repeated.

Shishin replied, "That's right, but I teach _him_ my own martial art in contrast to the Beyblading styles I taught you both to perfect. This is my pupil, Kon Rei."

After he made it in his master's midst, Rei confronted him and his three younger friends. "Master, you know these three?" he asked.

"Why, yes. This is my old Beyblade team, the **Saint Generations A**."

Rei gasped, "Saint Generations A? The champion team in that Worldwide Battle City Tournament last year? I didn't know _you_ were in it."

"That's probably because we all went by our Beyblade aliases. I was known as 'LEO.'"

"I see."

"So, why is this famous team bent on destroying our Holy Beasts?"

Suddenly, everyone focused on Kai who kept his distance from all of them. His sight was clearly focused on Fox herself as he continued. "That girl over there, the one you call 'FOX,' was after my Holy Beast while those military dogs were doing the same thing. Just what are you all planning?" Fox also stared down Kai while Alex looked at the both of them back and forth. "I kinda see the resemblance. Is he really…?" he wondered.

"No mistake," Fox quietly replied.

"Hey!"

Suddenly, more faces appeared on the playing field. Finally, Takao and the others had made it to the confrontation.

Takao, Max, Daichi, Kyouju, and Hiromi all looked around to see familiar faces and a few new ones. Rei gasped, "Takao!" The glow in Kai's eyes suddenly beamed once he locked his sights on Takao. He quietly murmured under his breath, "Kinomiya…"

"Hey, it's Rei!" Hiromi pointed out.

"And Kai too?" Max added.

Briefly ignoring both Kai and Rei's presences, Takao noticed Fox and Leo alongside Boss and Alex. He frowned, "So, Boss, are _these_ the new friends you were talking about before?"

Boss replied, "That's right. I'm still missing two others, but this is my old team, the Saint Generations A."

Max gasped while he turned his sight on Alex, "Saint Generations A! Alex… I knew you looked kinda familiar. You were one of the champions who won that Battle City Tournament last year."

Alex grinned, "'Bout time you figured it out. I was beginning to feel insulted that one couldn't recognize a famous Beyblader of his own city."

"So, are you _all_ looking to destroy all Holy Beasts?" Takao asked.

After hearing that remark, Rei briefly twitched and silently looked toward his master. Leo turned to him and nodded to give him a silent order. Rei seemed to understand and nodded back. Meanwhile, Boss turned away from Takao and said, "You best watch yourself, Takao. After we recollect ourselves, we'll be back. Let's go, everyone."

"I guess we'll be seeing ya," Alex waved.

With that, Boss, Alex, Fox, and Leo all began to walk off, leaving Takao and the others behind. But, little Daichi broke through their ranks and called after them. "Hey, come back! We still haven't finished our battle!" Neither one of them replied. Easily angered, Daichi pulled out his Grip Shooter and prepared to release his blade at them to get their attention. But, before he could, a white and green Beyblade flew across the air and landed hard on the ground before Daichi. "That's enough, Daichi!" The young boy jumped once he heard that familiar voice. He looked over to his right and he found his best friend back from his village holding a gigantic ax over her shoulder. "Reena!"

Boss and his teammates stopped and looked over to spot the pink-haired girl with the large ax. Fox smiled, "Why, if it isn't **Fujibayashi Reena**." Reena summoned her Beyblade back into her hand while Daichi stared after her in disbelief of her presence. "Reena, what are you doing here?"

"Daichi," Reena murmured quietly. "Forgive me."

"What?"

Without saying anymore, Reena proceeded to walk away, walking her way to the Saint Generations A! She smiled up at her older friends and greeted, "Sorry I'm late."

"Right on time actually," Boss briefly grinned. "Now, I wonder where _she_ might be…"

Finally, the five members of Saint Generations A continued to walk off, only to challenge Takao and the others again in the near future.

After Boss and his team disappeared from their sights, Takao and the others were left to reflect on their current situation. Daichi fell onto his knees and punched the ground angrily, "Reena! Why…!"

"Now, there are five of them," Max said. "And if I remember right, Saint Generations A from last year had _six_ members."

"Great," Takao sighed sarcastically. "So, they need one more Beyblader to complete their whole set."

"Kinomiya."

Takao turned around and finally took time to notice that both Kai and Rei were around. "Oh, hey, you two!" he greeted. "I haven't seen you both lately!"

Rei replied, "It sounds like you've encountered the new World Champion on several occasions already."

"Yeah, you can say that," Takao chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Why don't we talk about it on the way back home?"

"Um, sure."

"You coming, Kai?"

Kai shrugged, "Only to hear your story."

Kyouju nodded, "Good! We better hurry or we'll miss the train back home!"

With that said, everyone quickly set off back to the train station. But, Kai briefly stopped and looked back toward the broken shards of Beyblades Fox left behind. Briefly admiring her abilities, he finally ran off after the others.

* * *

Several minutes later, back at the Kinomiya Dojo in Tokyo, everyone was inside one large, empty room, sitting in a wide circle. Takao sighed, "And that's all we know." 

Rei bowed his head and pondered on the story Takao told. "So, this Siberian Army wants to capture all Holy Beasts for some reason while Saint Generations A wants to completely destroy them."

"That's right," Max nodded. "But, these two groups, although they seem to know each other, aren't playing the same side. So, Alex and the others probably know for themselves what the army wants them for."

"It doesn't matter," Takao protested. "As far as I'm concerned, they're the enemy. People like them could never be acknowledged as World Champions."

"But, it's no doubt that the Saint Generations A are very strong," Kyouju added. "From what Kai had told us, Fox was the one who destroyed all those blades back there. They'll be tough to beat."

Takao stood up and clenched his fist as he made a declaration. "Who cares? We'll just have to be even stronger! Now that Kai and Rei are with us, we'll be a force to be reckoned with!"

Daichi also stood up and shouted, "Don't count me out!"

"Huh? You too, kid?"

"The name's Daichi! And I'm sticking with you to face those guys! Reena's joined them, and I gotta find out why!"

"Well, all right. I admit that you were pretty good when we fought back there. So, the more, the merrier! How about you, Max?"

Max winked, "OKAY. I guess I'm in, too."

"All right! With the five of us, we'll be unstoppable!"

"Make that four."

Takao gasped in disbelief at that remark, and it came from none other than Rei!

Rei stood up from the circle and looked away from Takao's bewildered visage. "But, why?" Takao asked. "Your master joined them, too. And you have a Holy Beast of your own, right? He's gonna be after yours, too!"

"You're wrong. Master will not do that. I have to go to him now."

With that, Rei began to walk off, leaving Takao in his frustration. "No way. Are you _really_ going to join Boss' team!"

Rei stopped for a moment and replied, "Don't be stupid. I have no intention in joining Saint Generations A. Master and I have other things we have to do."

Finally, Rei put on his shoes and proceeded to leave out the sliding door. While Takao watched him leave, other voice called out, "Leave that door open." This time, the one who planned on leaving was Kai!

Kai was already standing at that moment, and he silently followed Rei's lead to leave. "Kai, you too?" Takao gasped. Kai didn't answer. After taking his shoes, he went outside. Rei had already disappeared, and Kai was about to do the same. But, Takao ran after him and cried out, "Kai, why won't _you_ join us? Aren't we both fighting for the same reasons!" Kai stopped walking, but he wasn't immediate to speak. Takao stayed put with Max and the others behind him, awaiting an answer. Finally, Kai turned around to face Takao with a determined stare. "Right now…" he murmured, "the only reason I wish to fight is to meet that girl again. Other than that, nothing else matters."

"Kai."

"If I should join you, I first have to prove to myself that I won't lose to that awesome power of hers."

"Then…"

Immediately, Takao reached the pocket on his jacket sleeve and pulled out his Dragoon Eclipse to flash it to Kai. "Then, battle _me_!" he challenged. "Test your full power on _me_!" Kai stared blankly at Takao's blade while Takao still held his challenging words high. But, eventually, Kai formed a grin. "Kinomiya… I accept."

Takao grinned, "Good. How about the old warehouse downtown?"

"I'll be waiting."

With that, Kai turned around and finally left from under the arches of Kinomiya Dojo's entrance.

After Kai left, Takao turned to Max, Daichi, Kyouju, and Hiromi with a wide grin. "I'll be back, all right?"

"Just be careful," Kyouju replied.

"That's right. Kai was your opponent in the semi-finals last year, right?" Max added. "I hope you don't underestimate him."

"I won't," Takao nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be right back with Kai right behind me. See ya later!"

Finally, Takao ran off to trail after Kai to the battleground they both decided on.

Hiromi stretched her arms and shortly yawned. "I guess I better be heading back home, too. There's something I need to do. You'll tell Takao, right?"

"Okay, Hiromi," Kyouju nodded.

"Well, as long as I'm waiting for Takao to return, I'll practice for a while," Max said. "Wanna go, Daichi?"

"You sure you wanna lose badly to _me_?" Daichi answered energetically.

"Heh. We'll see about that."

Leaving the three boys behind, Hiromi left the dojo and turned to the right to climb the sidewalk back to her home. As she walked on, she was deep in one specific thought. "They're not gonna do this by themselves…"

* * *

Back in the downtown outskirts of Tokyo, there was a large, old building sitting in front of a wide factory. The exterior looked dated, weak, and had a faded gray color. There was cracked glass in the windows and windows that had no glass at all. From the inside, there was nothing but fragile, abandoned crates stacked on top of each other. The black ground was filthy with dust and bits of trash. Light from the outside beamed through the small holes in the walls and ceiling. But, it brought enough light for both Takao and Kai to see each other, face to face underneath their dim battleground. 

Takao and Kai remained standing against each other, leaving each other alone in their thoughts and taking time to determine the opposition's ability by their appearances. "I'm pretty sure Kai will be a lot tougher this time around," Takao thought. "I managed to beat him in the semi-finals last year, but even then it was close. I better take him out quickly before he gets any sneaky ideas."

"I've been waiting for a rematch, Kinomiya," Kai thought. "Let's see if you improved much since the last time."

Immediately, Takao dramatically spun around and pulled his Grip Shooter and rip cord from his back belt pack, quickly pushing the rip cord in. Then, he reached in his shoulder pack to reveal Dragoon Eclipse and locked it in the shooter after turning a single, complete circle, aiming it at his opponent. Meanwhile, Kai revealed his rip cord by pulling it out his sleeve by his teeth. He spun around and pulled his Grip Shooter from his back pocket hook, immediately loading his rip cord in it over his head. The twin tails of his scarf flew by, and Kai faced his adversary once more, locking in his Dranzer Eternal, and prepared to pull the cord. "GO! SHOOT!" Takao and Kai both cried out. Simultaneously, both of them released their respective Beyblades into battle.

Dragoon E and Dranzer E both sprinted across the dirty battleground and went at each other in great speed. Upon their first clash, the brief shockwave they created blew a fair amount of debris in the air! Takao shielded his eyes and cried out, "Go, Dragoon!" Reacting to his voice, Dragoon E forced Dranzer E backward and grinded against it far back to the wall, pinning it there. Kai cried out and quickly submitted a bit of his power into his blade, enabling it to push Dragoon E back! Following up its defensive attack, Dranzer E briefly started to glow in a very deep red color and flew past Dragoon E with a hard hit in the side. Takao grunted and took a moment to shake off the sting he felt from that attack. Then, with a great cry, he held out his palm and threw a great burst of wind energy outward! Kai saw it and tried to shield the strong currents. But, it was so strong that both he and Dranzer E were sent flying backward into the box crates behind him! As the many boxes fell over, Takao stood his ground in shock as Dragoon E spun beside him. "Uh oh," he said. "I think I went too far." Takao started to go to the pile of broken wood to help Kai, but suddenly, a spark of fire spat through the pile and began to spread out on all the dead wood around. Next, the pile of wood exploded into a blazing bush of flames with a dark figure in the center. As the fiery aura slowly dissipated, Kai was seen back on his feet with Dranzer E continuing to spin. He wore a wholehearted grin and said, "That's it. That's just how serious I wanted you to be."

Takao chuckled, "Okay then, I don't have to apologize."

Deciding after Takao's last move, Kai took the moment to contemplate on his next move with closed eyes. After a brief moment, Kai soon reopened them and stared Takao down. Then, in a flash, he ran at him, with several afterimages following him!

Takao jumped back at the surprise of Kai moving so fast that he couldn't catch up. Dranzer E shredded across the ground in blinding speed in zigzag movements, and with transparent duplicates following behind, it was almost impossible to follow. With a powerful strike, Dranzer past by Dragoon and sent it flying high into the ceiling, crashing right through it! Kai reappeared, kneeling on the ground with his left arm extended out from his side. He stood back up and turned around to find Takao flying downward at him. Takao threw a punch forward and sent Dragoon E down at the ground to strike Dranzer E back. Kai and Dranzer E both leapt out of the way, and Dragoon E was left to make impact to the ground before Takao landed. The silver blade wasted no time in trailing its opponent's move and chased after the navy-colored blade to clash into it once more. Takao went at Kai and threw a right hook at him, but Kai caught in his palm and threw him backward. Then, he went on the attack and threw two strong punches and a swift roundhouse kick while Takao tried to block them with his arms and shoulders and without falling over. Matching their confrontation, Dranzer E dashed after the retreating Dragoon E, smashing against it at all sides while the other continues to guard against it. Next, raging rings of fire encircled Kai's right arm, and he threw a solid fist at Takao, shooting a tremendous ball of crimson energy! Takao barely managed to leap away while Dragoon E dodged the red hot Dranzer E and left it heading straight into the wall. Upon impact, the wall instantly collapsed altogether and was thrown down on the ground by a wave of wild, spontaneous fire!

More sunlight beamed down in what was left of the old warehouse. Takao ran out of the faint shadows and threw his right palm outward, sending Dragoon E to run out at full speed. Underneath the shimmering light, Kai turned around and roared as Dranzer E circled around to come at its opponent with all its might. Finally, both blades met in a powerful clash, a clash that crackled with pure, raw energy. While the light from the awesome sun reflected off of them, the blades began to burrow themselves in a massive crater the longer they grinded and spun together in place. Taking part in the push-and-shove struggle, Takao and Kai both let loose a loud battle cry to input their own power into their Beyblades and against each other. Both Beybladers refused to let up their assault, and both blades showed no signs of slowing or one managing to outdo the other. It seemed like an endless stalemate. The blustery forces blew against Takao, but he still grinned confidently as he held down his right fist, wind energy gathering around it. Kai had his own ecstatic smile as more fiery energy flowed around his entire right arm. They both were ready for their final attack.

Takao was first. He tightened his fist, therefore letting the powerful wind expand from just his fist to his entire person. After spinning around once to let his energy begin its rotating momentum, he threw his fist over his head with a loud cry, "_DRAGOON ECLIPSE HURRICANE_!" Finally, the wind exploded into a huge tornado in itself while the white dragon Holy Beast stood in its eye with an intimidating roar! Next, Kai took a stiff, meditative stance and roared to summon more of his strength as the fire around his right arm began to glow brighter and expand around it. He quickly stood upright and threw his right arm diagonally from his side, following it as red ashes flew by his passionate ruby pupils. Then, he rammed his right fist into his palm and served as the ignition to a wide crimson aura surrounded him. "_DRANZER ETERNAL INCANDESCENCE_!" With one last mighty yell, the magnificent battle aura suddenly burst into an enormous cylinder of blazing fire as the Red Phoenix of Fire, Suzaku, shrieked behind Kai himself. The respective power fumed around both Beyblades, and with them already in a great clash, it was inevitable until they…

* * *

In the middle of the park where a certain Beybattle recently took place, Rei was sitting alone on one of the benches that were still intact. He rested his arms over his knees and sighed to himself. "I'm…sorry," he thought. "But, I swore that I wouldn't tell. I promised not to say a word." He looked up to the skies and stared with a dejected and annoyed look in his eyes. "Master… just what is this all about?" Suddenly, a brief earthquake ran across the ground, briefly surprising Rei. After the quake quietly faded away, Rei stared down at the ground, wondering what may have caused it. Quickly figuring it out, a smile of nostalgia formed across his lips. "Yeah… it _has_ been a while since I felt _that_… Takao, Kai."

* * *

Underneath the bright golden sun, the space where an old warehouse was completely empty. The building had completely vanished, only leaving behind bits and pieces of the walls and corners that buried deep in the ground. Both Dranzer Eternal and Dragoon Eclipse lied on the ground, both burnt out from the furious battle they underwent. Nearby, both of their Beybladers were both lying on the ground, staring up at the sky side by side. Takao yawned and put his hands under his head to serve as a pillow while Kai sat up and rested his left arm over his arched right leg. "Wow! That was really awesome!" Takao exclaimed happily. Kai looked down at Takao with a satisfied grin and sighed easefully. "You never change," he replied softly. 

"Ha ha! As if _I_ would change!" Takao replied.

"Now, I know what I have to do. Now that I know where I stand, I feel confident to face Fox again. I'm with you… Kinomiya."

Takao's only reply was an acknowledging smile of relief. The two boys then looked back toward the bright blue skies above them together, left alone in brief solitude after a tiring battle…

* * *

Above the entire city of Tokyo, a lone figure was standing on the top floor of a large, orange building, looking toward the direction of the recent battle that subsided. It was Fox. Her jacket caught in the wind, she stared out over the city with crossed arms. Thoughtfully, she recognized one of the warriors in that short duel and wore a small grin. Then, Boss appeared and approached her from behind. He looked out in the same direction Fox was and shortly frowned. "**_Shiroryuu_** just grew stronger from that battle," he said. "We can't let it get too strong." 

"Yeah," Fox murmured unenthusiastically.

Boss looked directly at his teammate and smiled accusingly. "You were paying attention to someone else, weren't you?" Fox didn't reply, but it was indeed apparent whom her concentration focused on…

_"Kai…_"

* * *

**_NEXT TIME… _**

_Rei: Kinomiya Takao! I challenge you to a Beybattle!_

_Takao: What! What's all this about?_

_Rei: There's still much I cannot tell you now. But, I have information that you might find very interesting. I also have to see how much power I have on my own if I'm to see my master again. So, if you want to know more about the Siberian Army, accept my challenge!_

**_"Shiroryuu, the White Dragon of Light"_**

_Rei: But first… I'm hungry!_

_Takao: So am I! Let's eat until our stomachs explode! I'm sure Kyouju doesn't mind paying._

_Kyouju: WHAT!_


	4. Shiroryuu, the White Dragon of Light

In the middle of the night, deep in the middle of the quiet park, Kon Rei patiently stood under a lone pole light. As the night winds softly blew past, a dark figure took a step forward to him from behind. Rei turned around and found the tall figure stepping into a nearby spotlight, revealing to be Ou Shishin, "LEO" of the Saint Generations A. "I didn't tell them, Master," Rei said. "But… just what are we doing here?"

Leo replied, "I will let you know soon enough. But, it is something only the both of us can do."

"I must know!"

"It's too soon for that."

"But, how am supposed to know that what I'm doing is the right thing?"

"Only you can answer that."

Rei bowed his head down and clenched his teeth while he tightened his right fist. "Just… what am I doing this for?"

**_Beyblade Lunar Eclipse_**

**_Episode 4: "Shiroryuu, the White Dragon of Light"_**

The brilliant sun shone across the city of Tokyo once again. Down at Kinomiya Dojo, Takao was quick to rush outside his room and stretched himself energetically. "Heh! I feel good today!" he exclaimed. Right behind him, Daichi limped over the boardwalk wearily, delivering a tremendous yawn and scratching over his back. Takao looked over his shoulder and chuckled mischievously, "You awake, monkey boy?"

Immediately, Daichi exclaimed angrily, "The name's Daichi!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Are you always like this when you wake up?" Daichi wondered.

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't think I'm this peppy after just waking up before. But, I guess it's because I'm a growing boy!"

While Takao was busy laughing overzealously, Daichi only rolled his eyes in exasperation while Max appeared behind him. "Hey, since you're up early, why don't we go out for breakfast?" he suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Takao agreed. "Let me ask Grandpa!"

After Takao ran off, Kai was last to join the others. Max turned to him and greeted him happily. "Hey, Kai! Say, if it's okay with Takao's Grandpa, we're going out to eat. Wanna come?" Kai didn't answer. Instead, he leapt off the boardwalk and walked toward the dojo's entrance to rest against the side of the arch. Daichi scoffed, "He could've said 'yes.'"

Max laughed, "Don't worry about it. He's always like that, so I suspected as much."

Kai continued to rest comfortably under the arch, patiently waiting to join Takao and the others in their public breakfast date.

Behind a small black gate, Takao and company were seen sitting together outside a small café under the shade of a white roof. Takao was busy scarfing down the steak hanging from his fork while he went back to take a long drink of fresh juice back and forth with seldom moderation. He licked his lips and smacked them with satisfaction. "Yeah, this is _so_ good!" He went to thrust his fork down to catch another piece of steak, but another quickly got it before he did. It was a proud Daichi, and he swallowed the meat he happily stole while Takao growled at him. "Hey, what's the big idea, ya wild monkey!"

Daichi only grinned back, "You're just too slow, just like in your Beybattles."

Then, Daichi directed his fork down at the sausage on his plate, but Takao snuck it away and quickly ate it. The tables were turned, and Daichi was obviously annoyed by Takao's next taunt. "Turnabout's fair play."

"I'll get you for that!"

Meanwhile, there was a plate of bright yellow noodles sitting before Max, and he took the moment to pour a special 'spice' over them: mustard. Takao and Daichi both watched as Max easefully ate his mustard-dressed noodles with uneasy disgust. Max laughed, "DELICIOUS! Mustard noodles are the best!"

Daichi stared in exasperation, "He just ruined perfectly good noodles."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Max wondered.

"We didn't say anything!" Takao and Daichi both exclaimed.

Kai had already finished his meal and went straight to drink the last of his drink from his glass. Takao was watching him with a smile of relief. "It's good that we have Kai with us now," he said. "Sure, he doesn't say much, but his Beyblading skills more than makes up for it."

Max replied, "That's true, but the Saint Generations A still outnumber us by one. And they even said that they expect one more."

Daichi added, "That makes it six, right? Geez, I had no idea Reena was one of them. She never told me before."

"We might have a better chance if Rei would join us…"

"Yeah," Takao nodded. "But, something's up with him. It's like he's hiding something…"

"You don't think he's gonna join the Saint Generations A, do ya?" Daichi wondered.

"He said he wouldn't. But…"

Kai finished his glass and gently lied it down on the table. Then, he looked out the corner of his eye to his left once he noticed something. He shut his eyes and spoke, "Speaking of Rei, look over there." Takao, Daichi, and Max all turned to the left to see what he meant. At a nearby table, there was Rei sitting behind _two_ stacks of _10_ dishes! A waiter was standing by him, and he was staring at the stacks in utter shock while Rei was finishing off the curry rice he had in a bowl. He put it on top of the right stack and looked up at the waiter with a big smile. "Excuse me, could I please have another dish?"

"_Another_!" he gasped.

Takao, Daichi, and Max comically stared with wide, beady eyes and hanging jaws while Kai continued to sit there as if he didn't notice.

While two waiters carried the piles of dishes away from his table, Rei smiled with glee while he patted his belly. "Rei!" Recognizing that voice, Rei looked over to see Takao and the others sitting at a table nearby. "Oh, I didn't see you guys there," he said. "Good morning."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Takao replied meekly.

"Whoa! That was a lot of food there!" Daichi exclaimed in awe. "I oughta challenge you to an eatin' contest!"

"You're not even full yet?" Max asked.

Rei smiled while he scratched over the back of his head. "Was I really eating _that_ much?"

"Hey guys!" a voice called.

All five boys looked over the black gate to find Kyouju standing there, panting in exhaustion. "Kyouju?" Takao murmured.

"Grandpa told me you were here," Kyouju said. "I finished restoring your Beyblade, as well as Kai's."

"Really? Thanks a lot!"

The subject of Beyblade quickly diminished Rei's high spirits, and he bowed down his head briefly, delivering a deep sigh. "Well, I better get going," he said. He stood up from his chair and went off on his own. Everyone watched him leave in silence, especially Takao. Eventually, he stood up from his chair and leapt over the black gate to meet with Kyouju. He took his Dragoon Eclipse from Kyouju's hands and said, "Thanks again. I'll be back."

Max suddenly cried out, "Takao, wait!"

"I have to go after Rei! Don't try and stop me!"

"It's not that! You haven't paid for your meal yet!"

Takao briefly fell to the side and turned to Kyouju with a desperate smile. "Uh, you take care of it, okay?"

"What!" Kyouju gasped.

"See ya!"

With that, Takao quickly ran off after Rei. After he disappeared from sight, Kyouju was sweating with contempt and turned toward Max and the others. "Just… how much… did he eat?" he quietly growled. Max and Daichi both chuckled with an uneasy tone. "So, _you_ wanna tell him?" Max asked.

"No way. _You_ tell him," Daichi protested.

"Kai?" they both asked.

With his eyes still sealed, Kai softly scoffed to himself and turned to the waiter near him. "One chocolate parfait, please," he requested.

"DON'T ORDER ANYTHING ELSE!" Kyouju cried.

* * *

Takao ran down the sidewalks of Tokyo in search for Rei. He looked back and forth for him until he finally spotted him walking into a nearby, tall building. He quickly ran to the door and scaled up the bright, white building. At the very top, there was a large poster of two clashing Beyblades with an acronym of three deep blue letters in the middle: BBA, the Beyblade Battle Association. "The BBA Training Center," Takao said. Then, he proceeded to open the clean, glossy door and entered the Training Center to follow Rei. 

Inside, Takao walked into a large and empty room with four red Beystadiums each taking a corner. The empty black seats on the balcony bleachers hung above Takao's head as he looked around. "Where could he…?" he wondered. Suddenly, a faint sound of a Beyblade crashing into something past by Takao's ears and directed his sight to a staircase that led to the second floor. Takao turned to the stairs and quickly scaled them up to the next floor.

On the next floor, Takao ran down the empty hallway and found himself in a large and wide room with its enormous indoor Beystadium that made its own impression of a wide mountainous region. Twin walls of bleachers each flanked both sides of the stadium while two boardwalks faced each other on opposite sides of the artificial land. Takao looked down into the stadium from behind the black bar fence. "This is the _Wilderness Stadium_, the stadium the BBA uses for promotional Beybattles. I _know_ I heard a Beyblade in here." Suddenly, a rushing wave of sand caught his eye. It was a black and white Beyblade that was moving so fast that it created a massive wave of sand behind it! The blade then leapt into the air and jumped off the wall to gain more altitude. It flew off to the far side of the stadium and landed into the hand of no one other than Rei.

Alone in his thoughts, Rei stared down at his Beyblade. The three talons of its attack ring, cold as pure steel, glowed brilliantly as the headlights from above reflected from it, and a faint roar echoed around the large room as he noticed the picture of a green-striped white tiger wearing a tiara-like crown, shoulder guards, and armor plating over its belly that were all as golden as the bright sun. While he kept staring down at his Beyblade, a voice called out to him. "Hey, that's a new blade, right?" Rei looked up and found Takao standing on the opposite boardwalk in front of him. Rei humored him with a halfhearted grin and answered, "Yeah. **_Driger Edge_**."

"So, do you think it's a match for my Dragoon Eclipse?"

Rei turned directly to Takao to find that he was holding Dragoon E right at him, as if he was challenging him. He sighed, "You never give up, do you? I told you…"

"You don't have to join our team if you don't want to," Takao interrupted. "But, I would like it if you and I have a Beybattle. If I'm gonna take on our opponents, I need all the battles necessary to develop my skills even further than they are now."

Rei twitched irritably, "A practice match? Don't tell me that your Beybattle with Kai was just a practice match. Kai wouldn't appreciate that comment from you… and neither would I!"

"Huh?"  
"If I were to have a match with you, it would be one when both of us let everything go, no matter what the reason. So, if I accept your challenge, will you show me 100 of your skill?"

"No way," Takao grinned. "That wouldn't be fair to you or anyone else. Instead, I'll give…"

As quick as they both could, Takao and Rei took their respective Grip Shooter and installed their blades onto them. Then, they both pulled their ripcords and released their blades as they both cried, "1000!" Dragoon E and Driger E both fell at each other until they inevitably made contact above the stadium and made a brilliant flash of light!

Both blades landed hard into the rocky terrain below and maneuvered any way they could to reach other. Dragoon E used an arched boulder to fly in the air and over Driger E, determined to strike from above. But, before it made contact, Driger E suddenly dashed hard to the right, leaving Dragoon E to crash into the ground. While it was stunned, Rei's blade came back and struck the silver blade hard, sending it in midair. Takao gasped, "Whoa!"

"Wall-jump, Driger Edge!" Rei commanded.

Quickly, the black and white Beyblade leapt at the side of the stadium wall and jumped once more to catch its adversary in midair. In a single but solid blow, Driger E drilled Dragoon E and sent it flying down into a tall rock pillar, instantly toppling it! The blustery impact blew cinnamon debris before Takao, but as he shielded himself, he immediately commanded a counterattack. "Explode, wind!" Dragoon E seemed to spin even faster than before until it managed to create a massive aura of wind around it. Then, the rushing tornado quickly grew larger and larger and it began to pick up the small pebbles and considerably large stones around the Beyblade. Finally, the wind propelled all the rocks it gathered right at Driger E! Rei cried, "Driger, speed up!" Driger E obeyed and quickly maneuvered around the several rocks that attacked it by leaping from rock to rock and possibly warping from one spot to the next. But, after Driger E landed on one certain stone, Dragoon E flew right at it, shattering the flying stone and sending the other blade off its defensive course. Stunned, Rei's blade was helpless as it finally fell underneath the unlimited storm of rock and ended up being buried. The storm finally calmed down and the last few pieces of rock rained over the ground, along with Dragoon E.

Takao grinned in triumphant as he looked over the large pile of rocks his opponent's blade was buried in. "How's that?"

Rei grinned, "Not bad. But…"

Rei then took a meditative stance and concentrated all his strength in his arms, his legs, and his entire body. After taking one deep breath, Rei let loose a powerful roar and his body was outlined in a bright, golden aura. As his battle cry grew larger, so did his aura. Then, the same golden aura shone around the pile of rocks below him. In seconds, the rocks went thrown aside by a great force of light! As the light slowly diminished, the great white tiger himself, **_Byakko_**, was standing before his opponent, slowly growling under his breath. Takao was caught off guard as he beheld Rei's Holy Beast in an opaque and truly physical form. After he took one step forward, Byakko even left behind a genuine and enormous pawprint. "Whoa! Your Holy Beast… he's really there!" The golden aura still beamed with brilliance around his person, but Rei was still able to speak while retaining it without any sign of stress. "1000 is fine and all, but thanks to my master, I'm able to make one more step from that," he declared. Byakko then leapt up to the boardwalk his partner stood on and came to his side. Then, Rei took the moment to gently stroke the tiger's furry neck, astounding Takao further of the fact that he can actually touch him. "With Byakko here with me like this, I'm able to give all my opponents **2000**!" With this great cry, the golden aura stormed erratically around him and Driger E. The power reached out to Takao, and he struggled to stand against it. "What power!" he thought. "It's too much, really! It's like he's in a '**hyper mode**' or something!" Before he put more thought into it, Takao noticed that Driger E was beginning to multiply. After a few moments, Driger E was surrounded by eight other afterimages of itself!

Thunder struck down behind the thoughtful Rei as he revealed a shade of calmness and innocence in his eyes. He flew back in a dark space and the golden aura that surrounded him finally burst into a mandala of nine ferocious beams of light! "_Nine Life Edge!_" The nine beams were directed by one great right punch and Rei's awesome cry. The eight afterimages all struck Dragoon E at one spot while its corresponding eight beams struck Takao in eight different spots of his body. The White Tiger of Gold, Byakko, quickly flew at him in the form of the ninth beam and struck him hard on his forehead! The ninth blade also struck Dragoon E like lightning and sent it flying into the side of the stadium under Takao's boardwalk, completely destroying it upon impact! Surrounded by the great light of Rei's attack, Takao's body briefly floated lifelessly until he completely disappeared inside it…

* * *

In an office on the top floor of the BBA Training Center, there was a table littered with paper and a few staples. But, someone sitting behind it was cleaning it. It was a short, round, and elderly man in clean and black executive fashion and a small pair of glasses over his nose. As soon as he stacked his papers on a nearby plate, a brief tremor erupted and toppled it over the floor. He was startled as he held on to his table to brace himself. After the tremor subsided, he stood up from his chair. "What on earth was that?" he wondered. After he walked out of his office to investigate, he left behind a peculiar picture of himself and a somewhat familiar man with a long white mane both in impressive black suits among the mess of papers on the otherwise clean floor…

* * *

Back in the Wilderness Stadium, debris of smoke flowed from the wrecked boardwalk Takao was on. On the other side, Rei kept his stance after successfully deploying his new attack with Byakko standing below him in the stadium fiercely and patiently waiting for a counterattack. Driger Edge continued to spin in place, waiting to see behind the curtain of smoke. Suddenly, a great burst of wind energy rushed outward to Driger E and threatened to push it back. Rei and Byakko shielded their eyes away from the debris and beheld the aftermath of the sudden storm. In front of Driger E, a glowing Dragoon Eclipse continued to spin. Furthermore, there stood Takao, his clothes barely singed and a magnificent white aura surrounding him, but to Rei's surprise, the mysterious and gigantic white dragon Holy Beast was standing over him in a genuine, physical form as well! 

Rei was bewildered as he and Byakko stared up at the enormous white dragon. "Takao can't possibly learn to let his Holy Beast exist in a physical form this quickly," he thought. "He's anything _but_ a prodigy. Could it be true…?" Rei looked directly at his opponent, his eyes hidden under his bangs. Then, once he lifted his head, Takao flashed a blank stare of strange and intimidating sapphire pupils! Rei clenched his teeth. "Master _was_ right. In that case…"

"DRIGER!" Rei cried.

Byakko ran at his opponent along with Driger Edge as it slightly struggled to pierce through the windy barrier around Takao's person. The white Beyblade quickly summoned its golden battle aura it had before and ran at Dragoon E, making a tremendous impact of pure force! At Takao's side of the stadium, Daichi, Max, Kai, and Kyouju suddenly appeared and quickly braced themselves as the great force of energy washed over them. The white dragon and the white tiger both roared ferociously as they disappeared into the bright light…

…After the light finally died down, Rei fell on one knee and stopped to catch his breath. As he panted, he lifted his head to see the outcome of his match. Kai and the others ascended what was left of the stairs to the destroyed boardwalk and looked down in the Wilderness Stadium. There, they found Takao lying on the ground unconscious and both Dragoon Eclipse and Driger Edge lying still in front of him, with next to no damage at all. "Takao!" Max and Kyouju cried out as they leapt down into the stadium. They both quickly came to Takao's side and each took one arm to bring him onto his feet. He quickly regained consciousness and groaned to himself as he found friendly company around him. "Kyouju… Max…"

"Are you feeling all right?" Max asked.

Takao pulled away from his friends' hold on him and took a few steps as easily as he would if he wasn't injured at all. "Actually, I feel just fine. Never better," he answered.

"Are you sure?" Kyouju wondered. "We found you lying on the ground for a moment."

"He just past out," Rei suddenly said.

Everyone looked to see Rei walking to them after he picked up both Dragoon E and Driger E. "You just caught us in our last attack, and Takao must've past out from the stress. A first, though."

"Really? I don't quite remember any of that," Takao replied, rubbing over his head.

"You don't?" Kyouju asked.

"No. I just remember that Rei pulled off that awesome attack. And then… I… don't remember…"

"You don't remember your impressive counterattack that defeated me?" Rei laughed. "Since when were you so modest?"

"Really? I won?"

"You sure did. You've gotten a lot better since the last time we fought."

Takao grinned and rubbed the back of his head with a wide grin. Max and Kyouju only shrugged it off while Kai, on the other hand, held on to his suspicions. "Oh my. What is going on down here?" Daichi turned to his right to see the round old man in the black suit. "Hey, I've seen you before back at the village!" Daichi exclaimed. "Aren't you the **Great Chairman**?"

The man nodded, "Yes, I am. But, what are you…? Oh! It's you, Kai."

Kai didn't answer while Takao, Max, Kyouju, and Rei all climbed out of the Wilderness Stadium. "Oh, all of you are here!" the Great Chairman exclaimed.

"Great Chairman?" Kyouju replied.

Later, back in the main office, Takao and everyone else all gathered before the Great Chairman's desk. "Oh, so it was you two making all that racket downstairs," the Great Chairman said. "I might've known knowing you all."

Takao shrugged modestly, "Yeah, well…"  
"But, I never thought I'd see you all together like this."

"It's mostly because there's a lot of stuff going on that got us all involved," Kyouju explained. "You know about the stray Holy Beasts people reported they've seen lately?"

"Yes, but I've assumed that it's all a hoax of some kind."

"No, it's very true, sir. There's a mysterious army going on hunting these Holy Beasts for some reason, and it's not for the good of the world, either. And if that's not enough, the Saint Generations A team are out to destroy all Holy Beasts, including ours."

The Great Chairman gasped, "Saint Generations A? You're not serious!"

"No, it's true!" Takao exclaimed. "Boss, the leader of that team, said so himself! I can't believe I lost to that chump!"

"This doesn't make any sense. That team went through so much last year… _especially_ Banken."

"Say, would you happen to know a bit more on that team?" Kyouju asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know anything else outside the fact that they won the 1st Annual Universe City Championships last year."

"I see. Well, I have a bit of information I'd like to share to you about them _and_ these Siberian BeySoldiers in my laptop."

"Oh, sure."

Kyouju turned to Takao and the others. "Everyone, this may take a while. You all don't need to stay."

"Okay," Takao replied. "We'll just head back to my house. Meet you back there?"

"That's fine. Just don't do anything too reckless."

With that, Takao and the others began to walk out the office, but Kai briefly stopped in his tracks once he saw a photograph lying on the floor. It was the same photo of the Great Chairman and the white-haired man. Kai picked it up and looked at it briefly. He walked to the Great Chairman and silently gave it back to him. After the old man took it, Kai just turned away to rejoin the others… briefly twitching to himself.

* * *

Out in the city, Takao, Daichi, Max, and Kai walked close together while Rei was lagging behind, thinking to himself. His mind made up, he stopped in his tracks and called to the others. "Everyone," he began, "I have something to say." Everyone stopped and turned to Rei patiently. "I… think I might know why the Saint Generations A want to destroy all Holy Beasts." 

"Really?" Takao replied. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I promised Master not to tell anyone else. But, now… I've decided to disobey him just this once. It's because… it's because that they're afraid that another wild Holy Beast like your **_Shiroryuu_** will surface on this world again."

"'Shiroryuu?'" Takao repeated. "So, that's what Seiryuu turned into."

"That's right. It's a reincarnation of a former 'White Dragon of Light.' _That's_ most likely the reason why the Great Chairman seemed to avoid any conversation about the Saint Generations A. And the Siberian BeySoldiers are after a Holy Beast just like that. But, their purpose in doing so is still a mystery."

"So, once they figure out that Takao has the Holy Beast they're looking for, they'll come after us," Max said.

"Fine by me. At least no other Holy Beast has to suffer," Takao replied.

"I… don't believe that Takao's new Holy Beast really has the power of destruction like Master and his team thinks," Rei continued. "But, I know for certain that we can't let those BeySoldiers get their hands on him… as well as ours. That's why I would appreciate it… if you will let me join your team."

"Really! All right!" Takao cheered. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear! What do ya say, guys?"

"Of course you can join us," Max nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's what everyone wanted."

"Your name's Rei, right?" Daichi added. "You look strong enough to be on my team."

"_Your_ team!" Takao detested. "Anyway! What about you, Kai?"

"Hmph. As long as he pulls his own weight," Kai replied.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Max said, punching his left palm. "With the five of us, we'll be sure to defeat all of our opponents, even if we have to sacrifice a lot doing so. Such as learning that unique technique of yours, Rei."

Rei turned to Max skeptically while Takao and Daichi both came in between them in wonder. "Yeah, that's right. How did you manage to let your Holy Beast walk as a pure, physical form?" Takao asked.

"Yeah! You're a lot stronger when your Holy Beast is with you, right?" Daichi added. "Not just spiritually, but truly physically?"

"Well, that is true, but…" Rei began.

"You _can_ teach us, right?" Max asked. "It would really help us out in our fight against the Saint Generations A and those BeySoldiers!"

"Max's right," Takao agreed. "Can you teach us?"

Seeing the anxious looks everyone around him wore, Rei frowned dejectedly and turned away in frustration. "I don't know," he quietly sighed.

"But…" all three began to say.

"Excuse me, children," an unfamiliar voice called.

Everyone turned around in wonder and Kai opened his eyes to spot yet another man in deep emerald-colored military clothing but with cleanly cut black hair and a small pair of eyeglasses. Also, his rank was different from the last two soldiers. This one had the rank of Lieutenant!

This army man easefully approached the five young boys with a somewhat friendly but suspicious grin over his face. Takao quickly ran in front of his teammates and hastily cried, "One of you guys again!"

"Now, now, settle down," the Lieutenant replied in a refined tone of voice. "I wish not to cause trouble. I just happen to overhear your conversation about… Holy Beasts."

"More like eavesdropping! Just how long were you stalking us!"

"I'm afraid I overheard most of everything you said. I'm terribly sorry."

"You're 'sorry?' Ha! Don't make me laugh! You don't fool me! You want our Holy Beasts just as much as your pals do!"

"I'm guilty; I will not deny you of my mission, on account of you all too deeply involved in this… unsettling war. However, I want to go about this peacefully. If you would all hand in your Holy Beasts…"

"He sure is more polite than those other creeps," Daichi commented.

"Don't be stupid, monkey boy!" Takao cried. "To me, he's no different than Mizuno or Inada!"

"Ah, you are familiar with my subordinates," the man nodded. "Yes, those two are quite a bother, aren't they? Though you may be right. I may be just the same as those two ruffians. But, I plan to do things a bit differently. What must I do to take those Holy Beasts off your hands?"

"The same way we replied to those other guys: Beybattle! So, if you can play the game, then just bring it on!"

"Hmm, very well. I practice this amusing sport from time to time. Which one of you shall I battle? Choose only one to represent the future of your Holy Beasts, if you please. I believe the challenge is more interesting like that."

"Heh! You're on!" Takao declared. "_I'll_ fight you!"

"No!" Rei protested.

Everyone looked to Rei in wonder of his disapproval. Rei continued as he looked toward one of the boys. "I want you to fight him… _Max_."

Max was surprised at Rei's recommendation to battle the mysterious soldier, as well as everyone else. "Me, Rei?" Max repeated in shock.

"Yeah," Rei nodded seriously. "I want to see you fight. I want to see you fight with all your spirit."

"Well, okay, if you say so. What does everyone else think?"

"I want to see too," Kai suddenly replied. "Go."

"Yeah, you can do it, Max!" Takao and Daichi both agreed.

Max nodded, "All right. Then, let's go to the park near here. We can Beybattle there, right Mister?"

"Wherever you like," the soldier replied. "And please, **_Lt. Orochi_** is fine… or just Orochi."

* * *

Moments later, Takao and the others found themselves back in the park where they fought Boss and Alex before; only this time, Lt. Orochi was their latest opponent. As Takao, Daichi, Rei, and Kai all stood side by side patiently, Max stood before them, loading in his ripcord into his Grip Shooter and attaching his green Beyblade into it. As he held it at his opponent, the young blond challenged him, "COME ON, Orochi!" Orochi responded by pulling a long rifle out of the holster hanging from his left side and taking a red and white Beyblade with two long, crescent blades at opposite sides of the attack ring. After linking his blade near the barrel tip of his unique launcher, he pressed the stock against his shoulder and held it by the trigger ring and just below the launcher's chamber. With one eye staring through the small eye scope on top of the launcher to aim, Orochi replied, "As you wish. Shall we count?" 

Both opponents began the count. "Three, two, one. GO SHOOT!"

With that, Max released Draciel Endless into battle while Orochi pulled the trigger and fired his own Beyblade into the fray. The battle had begun.

Immediately, Draciel E and the white Beyblade met in a firm clash, but the white blade was slightly thrown back within seconds. It pushed against the green blade again but ended up being deflected at every turn. Suddenly, Draciel E dashed forward and grinded against its adversary with great force, pushing it back further and further with ease. Max threw his right arm before him and cried, "That's it, Draciel!"

"Oh, very nice," Orochi replied. "Well, how about I try _this_?"

Suddenly, Orochi's blade suddenly spun full circle around Draciel E as they both continued running across the ground and delivered a quick smash attack, sending the green blade flying backward. Draciel E flipped over the ground once before recovering and stayed put while the white blade quickly went after it. Orochi also flew at Max at top speed and threw a quick jab at him. But, to both Orochi's and his blade's dismay, Max and Draciel E suddenly faded to the left to dodge the attack. Max spun around, threw his right palm onto Orochi's back, and pushed him away with brief spiritual force. Mirroring that counterattack, Draciel E quickly circled around the white blade and smashed it hard into the air. The blade bounced thrice on the ground before recovering, and Orochi managed to somersault in midair and landed gracefully on his feet. He stood back up and grinned back to Max. "Brilliant counter. I shall be careful this time."

Takao and Daichi cheered together once they beheld that Max had the upper hand. "All right, Max! Stick it to him!" Takao cried.

"For a defensive blader, Max's probably strong as I am!" Daichi added.

Kai stood in silence as he observed the battle while Rei continued his focus on Max himself for some reason. Max noticed and took this moment to recollect his thoughts. "I wonder why Rei asked me of all people to fight this guy. He started acting a bit strange when I mentioned his ability to let his Byakko walk the earth in a physical form. Wait, could that be it? Is he trying to see if I'm worthy?" As Draciel E continued spinning in place, Max pondered on his next move while he felt the appropriate emotions for this battle. "If I'm able to summon Genbu the same way Rei did for Byakko, I can truly call myself the greatest Beyblader in the world after I finally defeat Takao… and that Alex, too."

"I'll show you all!" Max cried. "No matter what I have to do, I will definitely win!"

After hearing his declaration, Rei frowned slightly, briefly catching Kai's attention.

Orochi snapped his neck and popped his knuckles. "All right, my **_Asp Viper_**, let's make this battle a lot more interesting." His white blade, Asp Viper, kept spinning in place along with Draciel E. Max patiently waited for Orochi to make the first move before he decided to. Suddenly, Asp Viper quickly disappeared! Max gasped and was caught off guard… unaware of the fangs of a snake darting from behind his head! Max quickly sensed the incoming attack from behind and faded right to see a white beam of light shot shoot right by him. Kai clenched his teeth. "Too close," he thought. Suddenly, the light beam erratically bent downward and grazed over Max's right leg! Takao, Daichi, and Rei gasped in shock while Max cried out in pain and fell on his one good leg. Draciel E, however, was suddenly sent flying through a giant tree and toppled it over to the ground! The green blade landed on the ground, slightly wobbling during its spinning rate. Asp Viper swung back before Orochi who had his right arm extended outward. And on the ground, the same movement that light beam took before was etched over it!

Daichi was bewildered and confused after Orochi's attack. "What… just happened?"

"That attack… changed direction… like a snake," Takao replied.

"That's right," Kai explained. "That attack was just like how a snake strikes."

"You seen it too, Kai?" Rei asked.

"Yes."

_In recap of that earlier attack, Asp Viper briefly spun in place along with Draciel E. Above it, Orochi quickly threw his right arm forward, shooting a quick beam of light from his fingers. Asp Viper quickly dashed forward to mirror the beam of light and past Draciel E in a blink of an eye! It quickly circled around and attacked the green blade from behind. Draciel E faded to the right and barely dodged it. But, Orochi slightly shifted his hand downward, directing Asp Viper to take an erratic hard turn to the right and strike Draciel E hard to send it flying!_

Kai continued his explanation. "That beam of light made Max fade to his right on purpose until it completely coiled around him, taking the perfect opportunity to lunge at him. The edge of the beam, the snake's 'head,' is a lot heavier, enabling Orochi to manipulate its movement with a small turn of the wrist."

"Whoa, that's incredible!" Takao exclaimed.

"But now that Max's leg is wounded from that attack," Rei added, "it would be a _miracle_ if he can dodge another one."

Max groaned as he struggled to get up while blowing off the pain of his wounded leg. Orochi grinned and held up his right hand once again, preparing for his next move. "Let's get to the climax, Asp Viper. Attack."

Then, he waved his arm over his head, his beam of light twirling around his arm. Then, after an aggressive swing to the right, he delivered a side-winding storm across the ground with Asp Viper in the lead. Max saw it coming and crossed his arms in front of his face to guard it. Asp Viper flew at Draciel E and delivered a less-than-significant blow; Draciel E successfully guarded it and was sent upward for a moment. The beam struck over Max's arms, the force slightly sending him off his feet. But, Orochi laughed as he swung his arm right then up. Asp Viper then rushed to the midair Draciel E's left and leapt up to tackle it! The beam of light did the same maneuver by swing to Max's stunned and unguarded left and striking him with a clean blow! Max was sent sliding across the ground on his shoulder while Draciel E bounced over the ground, its balance now unstable. "Max!" Takao and Daichi cried. Hearing his friends' voices, Max got back on his feet and tightened both his fists. "No. I can't lose," he thought. "If I lose, everyone will lose their Holy Beasts. I _won't_ lose!"

"Finish him off, Asp Viper," Orochi quietly commanded.

Asp Viper obeyed and quickly dashed at Draciel E in the form of the deadly beam of light, threatening to finish this battle!

Suddenly, Max threw himself backward over a raging blue ocean. After he retracted his arms and legs to his upper body, geysers of water shot from the ocean and twirled around his person. With Genbu roaring behind him, Max threw his arms and legs outward and cried, "_Endless Reflect!_" The water from the geysers came together at one point and surrounded Max to form a large blue bubble shield. Finally, it expanded outwards to grow even bigger!

Asp Viper crashed into the watery shield and was gradually pushed back as it continued growing, canceling out its attack. No matter how hard Asp Viper grinded against it, it was pushed further and further away from the safe Draciel E. Max stood still and panted to regain his strength and composure while Orochi crossed his arms in amusement. "So, you have a few more tricks up your sleeve. Very clever defensive maneuver. But, I can't help but wonder… Will it manage to guard you from _this_?" With that, Orochi extended his right hand again, this time summoning a bit more power into one spot before he fired an attack. Sure enough, a small white ball of energy glowed from atop of Orochi's index finger. Suddenly, Asp Viper started to become transparent while it disappeared and reappeared into eight different spots from where it was standing. Rei noticed and widened his eyes in aroused suspicion. Orochi's grin grew larger and even eviler that before. "**_Hissatsu-Ougi (Ultimate Killer Attack)…_**" Suddenly, Orochi fired eight different beams of light at Max, striking him at eight different spots of his supposedly guarded body! Mirroring this attack, eight transparent images of Asp Viper struck Draciel E in eight different spots of the blade's body, easefully penetrating the Endless Reflect technique. Then, the ninth beam and the ninth blade struck Max and Draciel in his forehead and the center of the blade respectively. "**_…Kuzukansen – Nine Viper._**" The impact completely destroyed Draciel Endless' defensive wall and sent it flying and the lifeless body of Max crashing onto the ground.

Orochi relaxed after successfully firing his ultimate attack and crossed his arms once more in triumphant. But, Max quickly regained consciousness and struggled to just sit back up, seeing that Draciel E was still spinning but just barely balanced. Takao, Daichi, and Kai were all stunned from Orochi's attack. "Unbelievable," Kai murmured.

"Whoa! How did he do that!" Daichi wondered in shock.

"That move… That's the same move Rei hit me with before!" Takao stated.

Everyone looked toward Rei who was equally just as surprised like the others. "I can't believe someone else is able to pull off that move… other than Master and myself."

"Yeah, I knew you did that move on me," Takao said. "It was that 'Nine Life Edge,' right?"

"Yes, that's right," Rei explained. "It's a technique that attacks all nine sections of your body: the head, your shoulders, your sides or your elbows, your hips or your wrists, your underbelly, and your chest. To mirror this into Beyblading, the technique aims at a Beyblade's nine vital spots: the head, the opposing sides of the attack ring, the sides of the weight disk, the sides of the blade base, the blade tip, and finally the very center. Naturally, all normal attacks we use in martial arts and Beyblading are directed at these nine spots; naturally, defensive techniques revolve around the said nine spots as well. So, if you can push your speed beyond their normal limitations, it's possible to attack all nine spots at once. And there is _no way_ you can defend against it or even dodge it."

This revelation startled everyone! "There's no way you can defend against a technique like that!" Daichi gasped. "That's impossible!"

"Yeah, but it makes sense," Takao said. "When Rei did it against me, I couldn't find a way to possibly dodge it. I had no choice but to take the hit with the best defense I can muster. And even then…"

Rei continued, "Max was lucky he didn't take the full brunt of that attack. If he wasn't using his Endless Reflect technique, that move would've completely destroyed his blade. But, this proves that his defense is useless against Orochi's blade. He won't be able to take another shot like that."

"Man! Hey, Max! Are you all right?" Takao cried.

Max slowly rose back on his feet and shook his head to throw off his heavy pain. He clenched his teeth and stared at Orochi angrily. The soldier only chuckled to himself. "Your friend is right," he said. "There's no way you can even continue fighting, never mind take the full force of my ultimate attack. The only chance you have is to pull off the same move to counter it, but even that won't save you."

"That's right," Rei nodded. "Even if both opponents can perform that move, the force will be as different as they are. Orochi is far too strong because he's an adult. Even if Max can use the same move, his will fail."

"Then, Max doesn't have a chance!" Daichi cried.

"Well…"

Everyone looked toward Rei again, eager to listen for a possible loophole in this unblockable attack. "I rather not just go and blurt out a possible way to defeat one of _my_ techniques. But, just think about the _nature_ of this move and you'll get it."

Max was listening to Rei's explanation and directed his attention toward Orochi in thought. "The nature of the attack of nine heads…" he thought. "Well, I know that it attacks at all nine vital points of my Beyblade and myself. And there isn't a way to dodge it, never mind trying to defend against it…" Then, something crossed the blond's mind. "Wait. That's it!" Suddenly, Max went from a defensive stance to an offensive one, completely defying his own battle style! "I _don't_ defend it; I _attack_ it! If I can attack just before Orochi fires that attack again, _even_ for half a second, I can still win! I think I have just enough energy to deliver one big attack. I have to make this one count… for everyone's sake!"

"All right, let's go, Orochi!" Max cried. "I'm ready this time!"

"Hmm, we'll see," Orochi smiled.

To fulfill Max's request, Orochi held up his right hand and gathered white energy into his single index finger, preparing to use his ultimate move once again.

Takao and Daichi stood there impatiently. "You think Max understands how to beat this move?" Daichi wondered.

"I don't know," Takao replied, "but he's gotta win this!"

"I don't think he will."

Takao and Daichi gasped and turned toward the one who said that, Kai. "What! How can you say that, Kai?" Takao exclaimed.

"Kai's right; Max will lose," Rei added.

"What? Not you too?" Daichi pouted.

"It won't matter if he does understand how to defeat the attack of nine heads," Rei explained. "Whatever he has to do to beat it requires a great deal of power, a power that surpasses his opponent's. And as he is now, Max doesn't have that."

Max overheard and frowned dejectedly at both Kai and Rei. He turned away back to Orochi and thought to himself angrily. "Some teammates! I'll show them! I'll show them all that I can do this! I don't how or what I have to do; I just gotta win!" He tightened both his fists and stood there to summon more power with a great yell. His arms and legs were shaking, eagerly waiting for the last of their power to surface. But… nothing happened. Max panted in exhaustion while he discovered his shock of realizing that he had nothing left to give.

Max's arms fell to their sides while the young boy continued standing there, panting wearily. Draciel E's spin power was dying and its balance was fading fast. "No way," Max thought. "I should have more power than this. How can that be?"

"Are you finished?" Orochi said. "Oh well. I believe it's time for me to finish this."

"No!" Max cried. "I can't lose like this! I should have more power… more power…"

"What are you fighting for?"

Max gasped and turned toward Rei in wonder. The question was heard again. "What are you fighting for?"

"What…?"

"_Kuzukansen – Nine Viper._"

Max turned back toward Orochi and saw that his ultimate attack was in the midst of launching. He already saw the nine beams of light preparing to shoot out at him, especially the one of the center. The one that will strike him down…

* * *

_… Draciel Endless impacted Red Salamander Atlas, creating a giant explosion of green light! As the cloud of brown debris the attack made dissipated, Draciel Endless was severely off balance, but Red Salamander A was literally buried in the Beystadium, defeated. Under the burning limelight, Max looked down and gasped at what he saw. Below Alex was another, smaller Red Salamander A! Draciel E was terribly off balance, its speed quickly dying. Then, finally, it had stopped spinning. With the second Red Salamander A still spinning, Max and Draciel Endless were defeated. Max clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in quiet frustration. "I should be able to stomach a loss, but losing like this…" The diminutive Red Salamander A flew out the Beystadium and into Alex's hand. The boy with the cap grinned once more. "I guess your defense isn't so endless after all." Max frowned and watched as Alex silently walked away. "How can I hope to face Takao or his successor again if I lost to someone like that?"_

_…Boss and Alex stood side by side as Max, Kyouju, and Hiromi came to join Takao and Daichi. Max gasped, "Alex! What are you doing here!"_

_Alex replied coyly, "Max, you're here! So, you got my…invitation?"_

_"So, it was you who gave me that letter."_

_Alex shrugged. "We basically can't let them have the Holy Beasts. And destroying them is the only way to protect them."_

_"But, Holy Beasts are living creatures, too!" Max exclaimed. "The ones we all have are our partners! You would really sacrifice them for protection?"_

_"I don't expect any of you to understand," Boss said. "But, I'm doing what I'm doing to protect these innocent creatures from any evil. If you continue to stand in my way, then I'll take your partner by force."_

_"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Takao replied._

_Alex looked toward Max curiously. "I suppose you feel the same way, huh, Max?"  
"Takao is my greatest rival," Max replied with a small grin. "I plan to defeat him first before I call myself the best Beyblader in the world. But, when you threaten to take my Genbu like this, I'll gladly join him to prove to you that we can protect all Holy Beasts."_

_"Well, I guess that settles it," Max said, punching his left palm. "With the five of us, we'll be sure to defeat all of our opponents, even if we have to sacrifice a lot doing so. Such as learning that unique technique of yours, Rei."_

_…Rei turned to Max skeptically while Takao and Daichi both came in between them in wonder. "Yeah, that's right. How did you manage to let your Holy Beast walk as a pure, physical form?" Takao asked._

_"Yeah! You're a lot stronger when your Holy Beast is with you, right?" Daichi added. "Not just spiritually, but truly physically?"_

_"Well, that is true, but…" Rei began._

_"You can teach us, right?" Max asked. "It would really help us out in our fight against the Saint Generations A and those BeySoldiers!"_

…In a black, empty space, Max stood under a mysterious spotlight with a look of shock… and realization. "Takao, Daichi, Kai, and Rei… they're all fighting against their adversaries on Saint Generations A to prove that Holy Beasts have the right to live," he said. "But… what about me? What am _I_ fighting for?"

"_Max…_"

"Huh? Who…?"

"_Max… just fight for **us**…"_

Max looked over his shoulder and sighed in awe once he scaled up the giant Black Turtle of Water. "Genbu… Fight for us…?"

* * *

…Max's eyes widened with self-realization and he tightened his fists once again. "I'm fighting for _you_… and not for anything else!" Finally, Draciel E regained its balance and spun even faster than before. And suddenly, a brilliant golden aura began to surround it, as well as Max himself! Orochi and Asp Viper finally performed their attack of nine heads, but Draciel E was already running right at it in the form of raging waves. Max roared as he dashed at his opponent with the massive Genbu beside him, and they both briefly faded into the awesome light of Orochi's attack… 

_I'm fighting for… the future of our friendship…_

…The rushing water washed over Asp Viper just in time, stopping its attack. And finally, Draciel E struck it hard with all its might! "**_Hissatsu-Ougi!_**" Max cried. "**_Endless Wave!_**" A shocked Orochi stood there while Asp Viper dramatically flew by his head and landed behind him with a shattered attack ring. In one single counterattack turnaround, Max had grasped victory.

Takao cheered in ecstasy. "All right! You did it, Max! I knew you could beat him!" Rei finally wore a grin over his face and laughed cheerfully. "That's it, Max! You rediscovered your true Beyblading Spirit!"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Daichi wondered.

"Max's reasons for joining us were conflicting," Kai explained. "He was fighting for the personal reason of growing stronger and finally defeating his rivals to truly become the best."

"Right," Rei nodded. "There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but in the situation we're in, it's not the right attitude we need in our team. And his talk about sacrifice before blinds him from the fact that his Genbu is a living being and he is his friend. That stops him from using his true potential as a Beyblader. And _that_ attitude would not enable your Holy Beast to take on a physical form… and it looks like Max knows that."

Sure enough, right behind Max, there was his enormous Holy Beast, Genbu! Orochi looked up at the awesome turtle in awe. "The Black Turtle? _He_ has it?" he thought. "Then, it's possible that all of _them_…" Orochi turned around and picked up his broken Beyblade. He turned back toward Max with a wily grin. "You did well… Max, isn't it? You are the first to defeat my Kuzukansen. I can't wait until the _next_ battle." With that, Lieutenant Orochi proceeded to leave the five Beybladers… until next time.

After the powerful BeySoldier disappeared, Max turned toward Genbu and smiled happily. "I'm glad to see you like this… buddy." The Black Turtle nodded and briefly glowed before completely disappearing. Max picked up his Draciel E and sat down to catch his breath. Everyone else walked to him in high spirits. "Congratulations, Max. You did well," Takao winked.

"Yeah, you truly deserved it," Rei added. "I'm glad to have you on the team."

"Thanks, Rei. But, you knew, didn't you? That's why you wanted me to fight; it's because you knew that I was fighting for the wrong reasons. But, now I know what to do. THANK YOU."

"Now, we're a true team!" Takao exclaimed. "With the five of us, there will be nothing but infinite victory from here on out!"

"Yet another start to a new revolution," Max laughed.

Then, Takao and Max opened their eyes wide after a name crossed their minds simultaneously. They looked to each other and happily exclaimed, "**_Infinitia Revolutions E!_**"

"What, is that our team name?" Daichi said. "Not bad."

"I kinda like the feel of it," Rei smiled.

"Heh," Kai grunted with a smile of his own.

Nearby, from behind a few trees, Boss and Alex were both watching over Takao and his new team. "Orochi knows they hold the four _special_ Holy Beasts," Boss said. "We got our work cut out for us this time."

"I guess we better make our move and quick," Alex replied.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

With that, Boss proceeded to walk off with Alex right behind him. But, the boy with the red mane turned back toward the newly named Infinitia Revolutions E team, specifically Max. "About time you figured out your part in this battle. Now I know that you will prove to be more than a great challenge in our upcoming battle. I can't wait…" Finally, Alex followed Boss outside the park.

* * *

Shortly, back inside the Kinomiya Dojo, Kyouju had rejoined the others after the last battle. "Sounds like quite the match. I wish I could've recorded it," Kyouju said. 

"So, Kyouju, what did you talk about with the Great Chairman?" Takao asked.

"Well, I talked to him about a… 'strategy' we might have to take."

"Strategy?" Daichi repeated.

"Yes. The Great Chairman and I researched the entire region of Japan and found nothing that the Siberian BeySoldiers can call their base. That can only mean that only a few forces were sent here and are living amongst us."

"Apparently, since both Mizuno and Orochi walked out on the streets like everyone else," Takao said.

"So, what are you saying, Kyouju?" Rei asked.

"Well, the Holy Beast sightings are dying down around here. That means that either the Saint Generations A have killed some or the BeySoldiers have succeeded in capturing some. Never mind our rival team, these army men are clearly a bigger threat and can't be left alone. That's why the Great Chairman suggested… that we **fly to ****Siberia**."

Everyone was caught off guard by Kyouju's suggestion. "Well, why not?" Takao quickly exclaimed. "We have no idea what those guys are up to, but it's obviously no good! If no one else is gonna do it, then it's up to us to take care of them now!"

"But, what about the Saint Generations A?" Max asked. "We can't leave _them_ alone either. Many of the kids around here have Holy Beasts that they can attempt to kill off."

Kyouju replied, "Well, the Great Chairman told me something very interesting: that team is _also_ taking a flight to Siberia."

"What? No way!" Takao gasped.

"So, it doesn't matter where we go," Kai said. "We'll face both of our adversaries in the end."

"Yeah, and I'll defeat Boss and those BeySoldiers all at once! I say we go for it! We're gonna make sure that all Holy Beasts have a future to look forward to!"

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

"But, speaking of the Saint Generations A, they may have six members already," Kai added. "What about us?"

"Well, heh, funny you should ask," Kyouju grinned uneasily. "I _did_ find a potential new addition to our team."

"Huh? Really?" Takao wondered.

"Yeah! Okay, you can come on in now!"

Everyone looked toward the door as it suddenly slid open. Just then, everyone was shocked to find…!

* * *

Out in the streets of Tokyo, Boss and Alex were walking down the sidewalk to rejoin their teammates. Right behind him, someone took one step and called out, "There you are, Uehara Banken!" Boss and Alex stopped and turned around to find a familiar face. With a big smile, Alex waved, "Hey!" 

Boss grinned and crossed his arms. "I was starting to wonder whether _you_ show up or not."

* * *

Takao and everyone else were shocked to find a familiar young girl behind that door. Takao gasped, "Hiromi!" Sure enough, it was Hiromi, grinning joyously and holding a ruby red combination-style Beyblade with black and white markings and four arrow-headed blades over the attack ring. "Yep, it's **Tatibana Hiromi**, and I'm finally ready to Beyblade! Which one of you wants to fight me first?" While Kyouju grinned haphazardly, Takao, Daichi, Max, Rei, and even Kai wore dumbfounded stares of disbelief as they beheld who Kyouju claimed to be their sixth member of the Infinitia Revolutions E…

* * *

**NEXT TIME**

_Takao: Now, hold on! Hiromi, since when were **you** a Beyblader!_

_Hiromi: Does it matter? Come on; let me join your team!_

_Takao: Yeah, right! There's no way you can Beyblade just like that after all this time!_

_Hiromi: Don't look down on me! I've been training for a good while in secret. I've been training with the best! And now I'm finally ready to join you all in the fight! Get ready, Takao!_

_Takao: Huh? What did **this** Holy Beast come from!_

**_"Beautiful Excalibur"_**


	5. Beautiful Excalibur

…Out in the streets of Tokyo, Boss and Alex were walking down the sidewalk to rejoin their teammates. Right behind him, someone took one step and called out, "There you are, Uehara Banken!" Boss and Alex stopped and turned around to find a familiar face. With a big smile, Alex waved, "Hey!"

Boss grinned and crossed his arms. "I was starting to wonder whether _you_ show up or not."

* * *

Inside Kinomiya Dojo, everyone looked toward the door as it suddenly slid open. While Kyouju grinned haphazardly, Takao, Daichi, Max, Rei, and even Kai wore dumbfounded stares of disbelief as they beheld who Kyouju claimed to be their sixth member of the Infinitia Revolutions E. Takao gasped, "Hiromi?" Sure enough, it was Hiromi, grinning joyously and holding out a ruby red combination-style Beyblade with black and white markings and four arrow-headed blades over the attack ring. "Yep, it's **Tatibana Hiromi**, and I'm finally ready to Beyblade!" the young girl declared. "So, which one of you wants to fight me first?" 

**_Beyblade Lunar Eclipse_**

**_Episode 5: "Beautiful Excalibur"_**

_One year ago…_

_"GO SHOOT!"_

_In the middle of a park, Takao released his Beyblade out into the blue Beystadium before him, spinning around and around along with a yellow blade belong to a young child. With several boys surrounding them, they cheered and shouted for their fellow peer to fight and defeat Takao. "Go! You can do it!" the kid cried. But, for every attack, his blade just bounced off the impregnable white Beyblade. Then, it suddenly swirled to the right and attacked, sending the kid's blade out into the crowd! The white Beyblade flew back into Takao's hand, and he chuckled earnestly while he rubbed under his nose with a single finger. "Not too shabby. Just practice, practice, practice, and someday you'll make me look like nothing but a chump."_

_The kid smiled happily, "Really, Takao-sensei? Thanks!"_

_While the kids all cheered happily for their idol, Takao laughed modestly and grabbed the back of his head. "'Sensei?' Oh, I don't know about **that**…" Meanwhile, right behind them all, there was Hiromi, anxiously sitting on a bench. As she stared at the crowd, especially Takao, she wore a look of dejection and exasperation…_

**_"He always puts Beyblading before anything… anyone else. Sometimes, I wish he would lose for once… so he'd have time for me. But, then again, he'll always demand a rematch."

* * *

_**

_Takao's white Beyblade was sent flying… right past Takao's head. It landed on the floor under the platform Takao was standing on while a familiar black Beyblade was still spinning in the large red Beystadium. And the one who defeated Takao… was Uehara Banken, 'Boss.' In the middle of the two boys, Blader DJ was briefly stunned by the outcome of the match before regaining his bearings. "It's over! What an upset! Three-time World Champion, Kinomiya Takao, has been defeated by the __Universe__City__ Champion, Uehara Banken! UNBELIEVABLE!" Takao was shocked as he fell to his knees. Finally, anger fueled his emotions as he punched the floor in front of him. Boss picked up his Beyblade and sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. While the audience's cheers filled the entire stadium floor, Hiromi was equally shocked to see that Takao had been defeated in a World Championship. "Takao…" she murmured. She observed him standing back up and walking to Boss. He had a peeved expression over his face for a moment, but he quickly wore a smile. "You were awesome, Boss. I want a rematch soon."_

_Boss smiled back and held his hand to him. "Sure thing."_

_With that, the two boys took each other's hand and shook on their preempted revenge battle. Hiromi gently smiled in relief, but a side of her couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated…_

**_"No matter what happened, he would always love Beyblading. He would continue to ignore what else he could do. It seemed that the only way to get him to notice me… was to beat him at his own game."

* * *

_**

_In that same park, Hiromi stood there in her solitude, her eyes shut. In one hand, she held a white EZ Beylauncher and a skinny green Beyblade in the other. She looked at the blade to find a picture of a whimsical, cartoonish yellow frog with a pair of glasses in the Bit Chip. "I'm sure Kyouju won't mind me borrowing this," she said. With that in mind, she went ahead to load it into the launcher. She held it before her as she coiled her fingers along the gray rip cord. Then, with all her might, she pulled the cord and released the green blade over the ground. But, once it landed, it tipped to its side until the edge of the attack ring touched the ground. In less than a second, it burrowed through the ground until it completely stopped. Hiromi was surprised at her pitiful result and picked up the blade in frustration. "Geez, what's wrong with this dumb Beyblade?" she pouted. "Hmm, this won't be as easy as I thought."_

_"Hiromi?" a familiar voice called out._

_Hiromi jumped and quickly turned around, her back to no one else but Takao. "Oh, Takao! What… are you doing here?" she said nervously._

_"Just walking around. What are you…?"_

_"NOTHING!"_

_Suddenly, Hiromi was adrenalized to run off in incredible speed, sending a giant wall of cinnamon dirt up from the ground! After seeing her disappear in a flash, Takao just blankly stared after the direction she took. "Um… bye… I guess."_

_Later, out in the clear area of grassy hills outside the city of __Tokyo__, Hiromi was preparing to launch the green Beyblade once more. "I couldn't let Takao know that I was training," she thought. "If I was going to make him notice me, I gotta hit him when he least expects it." Again, she pulled the ripcord and released the blade. It flew through the air and dashed across the ground, perfectly balanced. "All right! Full circle, now!" But, the blade didn't listen to her command and kept wildly running down the hill. "Huh? Hey! I said circle around! Hey!" But, the blade still wouldn't listen, and it ended up crashing into a rock protruding from the ground floor. It flew backward and stopped spinning once again. Hiromi ran down the hill and stomped her right foot before swiping the blade from the ground angrily. "How can this be so hard?" she hissed. "What am I doing wrong?" She prepared to throw the blade to the ground until she heard a sound of a violin echo through her ears. She quickly calmed down and followed the calm melody up the hill to find an unfamiliar figure._

_On top of that hill, Hiromi found another young woman like herself sitting there, peacefully pulling a rod pass the cords of her violin. She wore a short sapphire jacket over a light pink tanktop, a bright magenta skirt, and a blue blow in her rich cinnamon hair. Her eyes were shut as she calmly resumed the gorgeous melody on her instrument. Hiromi stared in awe, her frustration quickly disappearing. "What a soothing melody," she murmured. "All of a sudden, I don't feel so angry anymore." Finally, the mysterious girl ceased playing her song and opened her brilliant emerald eyes to her fellow peer. "Calm like the undisturbed sea…" she said in the most mature tone of voice. "If you want to become better, you must learn equanimity."_

_"Huh?" Hiromi blinked in wonder._

_"If you want, **I** would like to teach you. I'll teach you to hone your frustrations… into your strongest weapon."_

_"But, why would you do that?"_

_"I want to because I've been watching you recently. And most times… I know how you feel."_

**_"Equanimity. This girl put me in this kind of training for the last year, and I kept my training secret. If I want Takao to notice me more, I have to defeat him at his own game…"

* * *

_**

Hiromi stood defiantly before Takao and the others with her own Beyblade in hand, determined for a challenge. But, as soon as he dropped his dumbfounded stare, Takao threw her head up in laughter. "You gotta be kidding!" he said. "**You** Beyblade? That's a laugh!"

"It's no joke," Hiromi replied confidently. "I've been training in secret for the last year, and now I think I'm ready to take on anyone!"

"Yeah right! You think by just training for one year, you're suddenly good enough to match blades with me? I've been doing this for four years!"

"A few years too long for my taste."

Takao stood up and tightened his fists with anger. "What was that?"

Hiromi turned away from him and casually replied, "I can understand if you're scared, you know."

"Don't give me that! Nothing scares me!"

"Then, what's the harm in taking me up on my challenge?"

"All right then! If I win, I don't wanna hear any more of this!"

"And if _I_ win," Hiromi grinned, "I get to join your team."

Daichi and the others were left to behold this argument in silence. But, Daichi broke the silence and chuckled to the others. "This, I _gotta_ see."

Max smiled, "Yeah, this ought to be very interesting. What do you think, guys?"

"Yeah," Rei nodded.

Kai quietly looked toward Hiromi and saw something intrigue in her eyes. He grinned to himself and thought, "She just might do it."

* * *

Outside the dojo a few moments later, Takao and Hiromi were on opposite ends of a red Beystadium. Standing or sitting over the boardwalk, Kyouju opened his laptop while Daichi, Max, Rei, and Kai were positioned around him. Takao grinned as he held his Grip Shooter out before his opponent. "Ready, Hiromi?" 

"And willing," Hiromi smiled back.

With that, Hiromi then pulled out a yellow Custom Grip Shooter with a white EZ shooter hooked to it, inserted a red ripcord, and secured her Beyblade. "Kyouju, do the honors," Takao said. "We're ready."

"Oh, of course," Kyouju smiled.

Takao and Hiromi held their shooters above the stadium, awaiting their cue. Kyouju cried out, "THREE, TWO, ONE…!"

Simultaneously, the Beybladers cried, "GO! SHOOT!"

With one great pull from the ripcords, both Takao and Hiromi released their Beyblades into the stadium.

The two Beyblades landed in the Beystadium and took off in opposite directions. The red blade went off to the left and the silver one went to the right. After they quickly circled around the dish, they met in the center of the arena and clashed against each other. But, in seconds, Dragoon E slammed Hiromi's blade against the stadium wall easily. "Heh! Too easy!" Takao declared. Dragoon E went to strike the red blade once again while it also charged toward it. Then, suddenly, the red blade rushed to its right in the last second and swung under Dragoon E, sending it up into the air! Takao gasped while everyone else was genuinely surprised by the counterattack. Dragoon E managed to land in the stadium, but it briefly wobbled a bit before it regained its balance. Takao frowned at Hiromi who still held on to her confident grin. "Don't tell me. You think that was a lucky shot, right?"

"I think you said it for me! Dragoon!"

Dragoon E grinded over the red blade once again and quickly shoved it towards the wall to decrease its spin power. Takao roared as he held out one fist to deliver his incredible attack power. But, before they could reach the wall, Hiromi's blade suddenly circled around Dragoon E and ended up grinding _it_ against the wall! "No way!" Takao gasped.

"Takao, quit holding back," Hiromi said. "It's the only way to satisfy me and my **_Dreamer Excalibur_**."

Takao repeated, "Dreamer… Excalibur?"

With that, the red blade, Dreamer E, backed away and let Dragoon E regain what was left of its balance, the first round clearly won.

Dreamer Excalibur spun in place as Hiromi stood over it with her intimidating smile. Watching the battle, Kyouju smiled with satisfaction. "It looks like her new blade is performing precisely how I hoped it would."

"You mean, you made that blade?" Max wondered.

"_Upgraded_ it, actually. Hiromi received the original Dreamer blade from her trainer, and after she found out about Takao's new Dragoon Eclipse at the time, she asked me to fix hers to reach the same standards as Takao. Now, Dreamer Excalibur's defense and endurance has powered up and her Beyblading style has reached a whole new level because of it."

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

"Just watch and you'll see."

Takao managed to crack a smile and chuckled to himself. "Well, it looks like you have _some_ skills. But. You're gonna wish that you finished me off when you had the chance!" Suddenly, Dragoon E began to spin around in a complete circle and as it slowly gained more speed, gusts of wind energy began to enshroud it. The wind began to push Dreamer E away, but it suddenly ran through the wind and dashed toward Dragoon E. But, upon contact, the red blade just bounced off the blade and blew backwards. "What kind of attack was that?" Takao mocked. "Now, it's time to finish this! Dragoon!" With the power of wind below it, Dragoon E flew into the air and suddenly dropped down at Dreamer E below. The silver blade landed right on top of the red blade, keeping its balance on it! Upon impact, the barrier of wind expanded into a wide cylinder. As blades of air rushed by him, Takao stood there with a triumphant grin. "This attack will waste whatever's left of your spin power. Then, you'll be crushed!" The wind blew by Hiromi who was trying to fight it. And while she did, she regained her sly grin. "That's it. You took the bait just like I planned."

"What?"

As Dragoon E's wind energy still encircled on top of it, Dreamer E began to glow with a strong aura as well. Hiromi waved her arms back to her sides and wistfully purred, "Fly." Suddenly, as the aura around Dreamer E grew brighter and wider, it was slowly hovering over the dish with Dragoon E still spinning on top of it! "You're kidding!" Takao gasped. But, it was true; Dreamer E was slowly floating despite Dragoon E's powerful wave of energy washing over it. As they continued to rise, a barrier of crimson wind energy expanded from Hiromi's blade and began to consume Takao's. "Hey! My attack… you're turning it against me!"

"Now, you get it," Hiromi replied. "It's my style: the art of equanimity. It's my calmness and patience that will win the battle."

Kyouju nodded in confirmation. "This is exactly what I mean. The truth is that Dreamer Excalibur has **no attack power**." Everyone was surprised at this revelation. "_No_ attack power?" Rei repeated.

"That's right," Kyouju nodded. "That's why the blade easily bounced off of Takao's blade earlier."

"I see," Kai deduced. "So, Dreamer Excalibur's ace in the hole is to literally absorb its opponent's energy that's thrown against it and throw it back at him. Hiromi is making Kinomiya's strength her own."

"Now, that's wild!" Max said.

"So, Takao walked right into Hiromi's trap," Rei said. "Once she releases the energy she absorbed back at him, he's finished."

The two Beyblades continued to float in midair, exuding intense energy waves. In the cylinder of power, Hiromi held out her hand and cried, "Now, Dreamer Excalibur! Full-force counterattack!"

"Uh oh," Takao gulped.

But, before the end of the battle was realized, a familiar white Beyblade with its bright emerald shade flew at the spectacle and instantly broke the two blades from each other! Takao and Hiromi both gasped as their respective blades flew to their feet. "What was…?" Takao wondered. Both of them stared up to see someone standing on the gate surrounding the dojo. It was none other than Fujibayashi Reena!

Reena of the Saint Generations A balanced herself over the gate with her enormous ax over her shoulder and her orange scarf masking her mouth. After she summoned her blade back in her hand, Daichi immediately stood up and ran to Hiromi's side. "Reena! Why are you here?" The pink-haired girl didn't answer; she instead leapt up and allowed a sphere of wind energy to surround her. Then, as soon as it dissipated, she disappeared without a trace!

After Reena disappeared, Daichi clenched his teeth along with his fists. "Whoa," Takao awed. "How did she do that?"

"A _wind ninja_," Rei replied. "As long as there's even a small current of wind, she can use it to move at high speeds. Master did say he knew one."

"WOW! Are you for real?" Max gasped.

"It's no big deal," Daichi replied. "I've seen her do it from time to time. Anyway, I'm gotta here!"

With that, Daichi ran off to track down Reena. Takao watched him run off and sighed, "Things just get more complicated…" Then, he turned to Hiromi, whose head was bowed down far enough to obscure her eyes. "Hiromi?" The young girl quickly shot her head up with wide eyes of rage and shrieked! "Just when I was about to win the battle! I'll MAKE HER PAY!" In a flash, Hiromi angrily stormed off, leaving behind a tall trail of smoke behind her! A large bead of sweat fell down Takao's head as he said, "Was _that_ the Beyblader I just fought?"

* * *

Barely outside the borders of Tokyo, Daichi found himself in a wide grassy plain, searching for his friend from the village. "Reena!" he called out. "I know you went this way! Don't hide from me!" Suddenly, a familiar trail of dust was running right behind him. In a flash, Hiromi suddenly appeared at Daichi's side, startling him. "Hey! What are _you_ doing here?" Daichi pouted. 

"I'm here to have a talk with that _friend_ of yours!" Hiromi sneered. "I'll make her pay for interrupting an important battle!"

"Well, I won't let you! You're not gonna even touch her until _I'm_ done with her."

"Why you…!"

Then, Hiromi started to calm down as Daichi's words ran through her mind once more. Finally, a sly grin crept across her face. "_Hey_, you wouldn't happen to have a bit more history with this girl, would you?" Daichi twitched fiercely and shifted his beady, green eyes away from her. "You… don't… know what you talking about," he murmured under his breath.

"We might have some history together, but what does _that_ matter to you?" a voice called.

Daichi and Hiromi both turned to the top of the grassy mound to find none other that Reena standing over the peak.

Daichi took a step forward and cried out to his fellow peer. "Reena! Now's the time to explain yourself!"

"There's nothing to say," Reena said. "I just decided to join my old team and help carry out our mission."

"No way! I know you better than that! There's gotta be more to your joining the Saint Generations A!"

"Wanna fight it out of me?"

Daichi clenched his teeth and his fists. Thoughts of the girl he knew slowly flew by his memories…

_"Daichi!"_

_…Daichi quickly raised his head at the sound of his name and grinned mischievously while slightly blushing. Suddenly, Reena appeared from the bushes and found Daichi before her. Her live, sapphire colored eyes shimmered as she said, "The elder's wondering where you were. You better hurry up!"_

_Daichi took one hand behind his head and laughed, "Uh, yeah! I was just heading back!"_

_The girl looked over to the giant pile of wood and looked up towards the top in awe. "Oh wow! You got all this done?"_

_"Yeah, well…" the boy shrugged._

_"It looks heavy. How about I help you bring back to our village?"_

_"Oh, I couldn't ask you to help," Daichi replied honestly._

_"Oh no, it's no problem at all."_

_…Suddenly, laughter was directed towards the two kids. They both looked to their left to find a trio of three boys sneering at them derisively. The skinny, nasally kid stepped forward and chuckled, "You two together again? Don't you get tired to hanging around girls, runt?"_

_As Reena hid behind his arm nervously, Daichi exclaimed, "Hey, shut up, ya punk! Who are you to always be picking on her anyway?"_

_"Are you really that much of a wimp?" the stout kid in the overalls replied. "You were kinda cool before, but now that that girl had shown up in our village, you've gone soft! What happened to the Sumeragi Beyblade Champ?"_

_"He's still here, fatso! I don't hear any of you challenging me, so fight me before saying crap like that!"_

_…Reena cheered in ecstasy. "Yeah! Daichi's number 1!" Now that the battle was over, the purple Beyblade flew into Daichi's right palm to rest. The bullies gasped in utter shock as they witnessed the shattered pieces of their Beyblades and fell to their knees in defeat, crying and bawling. "No! I can't believe we lost! It's gonna be cold tomorrow! I don't wanna be naked!"_

_Daichi chuckled, "Guess I'm not so weak after all, huh?"_

_Reena quickly came to Daichi's side and smiled at him in pure relief. "You did great, Daichi! You've gotten a lot better!"_

_"Heh! I know!"_

_"Boy, I wish I can be twice as good as you."_

…As he came back to reality, Daichi proceeded to wield his ax-like Grip Shooter and his purple Beyblade. "This Reena sure doesn't act like the Reena I knew in the village," he thought. "She's completely different now. Maybe this is the _real_ her." Daichi locked in his Gaia Dragoon Earth to his shooter and got ready pull the ripcord at his opponent. Reena held up her enormous ax, revealing an EZ Shooter built under the blade of it and her own blade already locked into it. Hiromi crossed her arms and sighed. "Just make it quick so I get my turn. All right… three, two, and one…"

Daichi cried, "GO! SHOOT!"

Finally, he pulled the cord and fired Gaia Dragoon. Reena grasped her ax with both hands and swung around in a complete circle to fire her own blade, crying "Go, **_Sylph Ascension_**!"

The two blades struck each other hard in midair and were both sent in opposite directions. Gaia Dragoon E was first to land on the ground and in doing so sent a fault line straight at its opponent. A pillar of rock shot underneath Sylph A and sent it upward. But, the white Beyblade recovered and soared down at the violet blade, grinding it backward. As the blades clashed, Daichi was using his small ax to guard against the large blade of Reena's. As he struggled, he spoke to her. "What's your problem anyway? Answer me!"

"I told you to beat it out of me!" Reena exclaimed.

With that, Reena mustered her strength over her ax and flung Daichi back! And Sylph delivered a strong smash attack over Gaia Dragoon, throwing it backwards. Sylph A continued chasing its opponent down as it fell down the hill. Before Gaia Dragoon E had a chance to crash on the ground, Sylph easily juggled it above the ground to deal some damage! The blows connected with Daichi's body and violently threw him back and forth. But, the young boy clenched his fists, causing Gaia Dragoon to quickly recover. It quickly dropped hard into the ground and created a massive shockwave that shoved Sylph back. As the dark debris cleared, Gaia Dragoon was sitting still, spinning in a substantially deep crater!

As he held a position of power over Reena, Daichi cracked his knuckles and growled, "Be careful what you wish for."

"I wouldn't wish for anything less," Reena replied with a small grin.

Just then, Sylph soared into the crater and spun around with Gaia Dragoon for a moment before they eventually clashed in the center. Attacks from both sides came together from every direction, left and right, up and down, diagonally and horizontally. After each hit, the faults in the ground grew larger and larger with waves of pure energy gushing out of them. As Hiromi watched in awe, she gasped once she spotted one blade ricochet out from the crater straight into the sky! The blade soon crashed into the ground, right behind a shocked Daichi. As he turned around, he found his blade just barely spinning in place with the clouds of brown dust. Sylph A flew down the hill with Reena crying in the background, "Now to finish it!" The white blade was right at Daichi's blade, attempting to strike it upward into defeat. But, suddenly…!

A familiar ruby-colored Beyblade blocked Sylph Ascension from finishing Gaia Dragoon Earth! It was Dreamer Excalibur! Daichi gasped once he found that he was saved. Hiromi ran to his side and joined the fight. "Hey, why did you…?" Daichi started to fuss.

"Save it!" Hiromi interrupted. "Do you _want_ to lose your Holy Beast?"

Reena and Sylph A both leapt back from their new opponent as Hiromi measured her up. Reena frowned and hissed, "You shouldn't have interfered." With that, Sylph quickly drilled into Dreamer, but Dreamer easily drew on its own power and gradually drove it back up the hill! As Reena was thrust backward through the ground, she recovered and yelled as she summoned more power to hold her opponent off. But, once she did, a peculiar white aura blanketed over the ruby Beyblade. "Not good," Reena gulped.

"Go, Dreamer!" Hiromi cried.

Suddenly, at Reena's surprise, a light pink unicorn with great white wings and a golden horn on its forehead appeared, neighing violently at her! "Another Holy Beast?"

The moment this happened, Takao and company just caught up with everyone, and all but Kyouju were shocked to find the physical form of Hiromi's Holy Beast beside her. "No way!" Takao gasped. "Where did _she_ get a Holy Beast?" Back to the battle, Dreamer Excalibur began to continue pushing Sylph Ascension back. Next, it smashed against to drive it backward, giving it room to perform its special attack.

In a massive, magenta-colored space of nothing but stars, Hiromi calmly waved her arms from her chest to her sides, throwing several feathers before her. They flew outward until they blanketed over her, and once they dissipated, the winged unicorn, Dreamer, neighed wondrously as her golden horn glowed brilliantly with the energy it had gathered. She galloped through the pink skies in the form of the red blade, Dreamer Excalibur, a whisper echoing through the large space. "_Horn Excalibur._"

Dreamer E dashed toward Sylph A in the form of a great white wave of energy. Soon, the blades connected, and Sylph was instantly sent flying into the air! Reena was also sent off her feet from the overwhelming display of power into the skies. As she flew back against the light winds, Reena reopened her eyes and grunted, "Not… yet!" With that, she somersaulted in mid-flight and prepared to fall back down to the ground. But, suddenly, a massive, golden flash quickly passed under her, and she disappeared! Hiromi gasped along with Daichi and everyone else. Sure enough, there was Reena, high in the skies standing confidently over a large golden bird with twin horned heads, giant crimson wings, and majestic blue tail feathers!

Hiromi swallowed briefly as she stared up at Reena standing over her own Holy Beast. As Sylph's heads both cawed menacingly, Reena rode her with a confident smile. "That was a nice attack!" she called. "I understand that your Beyblade absorbs nearly any attack! _But_, you think you can handle _this_?" With that, the large crow Holy Beast soared downward as Reena held on and pulled her scarf over her mouth. Sylph Ascension flew back down at the dormant Dreamer Excalibur, a rising barrier of wind surrounding it. "Now!" Reena cried. "_Windy Field!_" With that, Sylph Ascension crashed into the ground, creating a giant wave of smoke, and dashed at Dreamer E with all its strength. But, Hiromi didn't seem too worried. "She's still coming on the attack," she thought. "Once she clashes with me, I'll send her power right back at her." But, to her dismay, before Sylph A made collision, it disappeared! Nothing but calm winds brushed against Hiromi's blade. "Huh?" Hiromi wondered. Suddenly, Sylph A was coming at Dreamer E from behind, but once again, it disappeared before impact. From the sidelines, Takao was obviously baffled. "What's going on?" As he and the others observed, several visions of the white blade came at the ruby blade from all sides, but each one of them disappeared in the tiny gusts of wind surrounding them. Daichi watched the peculiar attack carefully and gasped once he remembered how Sylph crashed into the ground earlier. "Look out _below_ you!" Before Hiromi could react, sure enough, the real Sylph Ascension emerged from the ground right beneath Dreamer Excalibur and sent it into midair, surrounded by a large cylinder of wind energy!

…With her opponent's blade stunned and ensnared in erratic winds, Sylph spun about to reach her beloved sapphire skies with a great shriek. The white Beyblade danced along the skies, striking and smashing Dreamer Excalibur from all sides, gradually sending it higher and higher in the air. Finally, at its highest peak, Reena soon reappeared with her ax held over her head. "_Behold the power of the shinobi of wind!_" She swung her ax at the incoming blade, letting loose a single crescent wave of energy, the essence of the real Sylph Ascension…

Upon impact of the attack, Dreamer Excalibur was sent flying back down to earth in groundbreaking speed. It landed with a brutal crash into the ground, barely spinning in the massive crater it created. Hiromi felt its damage and knelt down, heavily panting. "I'm at my limit," she groaned.

"No! Hiromi!" Takao cried.

Sylph A continued onward to finish the weakened Dreamer E off. Hiromi just bowed her in shame, accepting her defeat but not wanting to witness it. Then, all she heard next was a big crash…

…Then, she heard the sound of two blades grinding against each other. Hiromi slightly lifted her head to see what had happened, and she completely rose up to find Gaia Dragoon Earth pushing against Sylph A and guarding Dreamer E! She turned to find Daichi at her side and continued to just glare at him, bewildered that he saved her. Daichi turned to her and grinned mischievously as he rubbed under his nose with one free finger. "She told ya not to interfere." Seeing the truth in his words, Hiromi only replied with a warm smile. Suddenly, Gaia Dragoon and Sylph both repelled from each other and, along with Dreamer, they all stopped spinning simultaneously, putting an end to the Beybattle.

After it was all over, Takao and the others quickly ran to both Daichi and Hiromi. "Are you both okay?" Takao asked.

"I'm all right," Daichi replied.

"Takao," Hiromi sighed, staring up at him.

"Hey, you did great out there," Takao nodded.

"Yeah. You've really come along after just one year," Max added.

Hiromi got back on her feet and weakly smiled. "Gee, thanks. I mean it."

"But, where did you get that Holy Beast?" Rei wondered.

"I've been wondering about that, too," Kyouju added. "Hiromi, you said that Holy Beast came alongside your Beyblade. Just _who_ gave it to you?"

Hiromi replied wearily, "My trainer… **_Yamazaki Nanami_**."

Reena was picking up her worn-out blade, but she jumped as soon as she heard that name. "Huh? So, _you're_ Nanami's latest trainee?" The Infinitia Revolutions E all faced Reena in intrigue. "You know her?" Hiromi wondered.

"Uh, well…"

"Go ahead and tell them," a voice called. "They would find out eventually."

Everyone turned and found a familiar group approaching them. It was the Saint Generations A, and among them was the girl that trained Hiromi, Yamazaki Nanami!

Takao clenched his fist in hostility and stared down his single rival. "Boss! You here to make trouble again?" Without hesitation, he pulled out his Grip Shooter and aimed his Dragoon Eclipse at him. But, Boss shrugged indifferent and replied, "What makes you think I'm gonna fight you in an already worn-out battleground?"

"Excuse us; we're just here to get Reena," Nanami replied as she bowed respectfully to him.

Caught off guard by Nanami's politeness, Takao blinked in wonder and meekly blushed to himself. Then, Hiromi stepped forward and exclaimed, "Nanami! You can't be… with _them_!"

"That's right," Boss said. "With Nanami with us, the Saint Generations A team is finally complete."

"What?" Takao gasped.

"You best not get in the way, especially you, Takao. You're playing with some dangerous fire."

"You think I'm just gonna stop because you said?"

Deciding to not say anymore, Boss turned to walk away before he briefly stopped and turned to Reena. "Let's go. We got a plane to catch." With that, all six members of the Saint Generations A joined together and walked on to their next destination.

After their rival team left their sight, Takao scowled and crossed his arms. "What's that guy's problem?"

"Never mind that," Max said. "They said they're going on a plane. So, they must really be heading to Siberia."

"You think a plane for _us_ is ready?" Rei wondered.

"Let's go see the Great Chairman and find out," Kyouju said.

Daichi tilted his head in wonder. "What's a… 'plane'?"

"Oh boy, how long have you been out in the woods, monkey boy?" Takao sighed.

"Hey! Who're you calling a 'monkey boy'?"

Everyone began to leave the plains as well to find the BBA Training Center. The silent Kai was following from behind… until a voice called his name. He continued looking straight ahead, but he was well aware of Fox leaning on a tree nearby. Her deep sapphire eyes reflected the limited rays of light shining through the black shade, and one of his dark ruby pupils gleamed quietly from underneath his gray bangs. Neither of them spoke or moved, but a dark conversation had begun to take place…

* * *

Later that night, at Kinomiya Dojo, Takao and everyone were all sound asleep in their separate floor beds. While both Kai and Rei slept calmly and soundlessly, Max slept with both hands and his right leg out from under his blankets while Kyouju spooned over his pillow. And a drooling Daichi was practically sleeping upside-down, his blankets completely thrown off of him. Soon, Takao pulled himself from his slumber and stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully with his hands under his head. "Uehara Banken," he thought. "I wonder what he's _really_ trying to do…" Soon, he noticed that one bed nearby was empty. He sat up and noticed the faint sound of a spinning Beyblade outside. 

Underneath the quiet moonlight, Hiromi was sitting silently on the boardwalk, watching her Dreamer Excalibur spinning around the red Beystadium. "So close…" she murmured. As the red blade continued spinning, a familiar silver blade was thrown in and playfully hit its side. Hiromi was briefly startled and looked up to find Takao walking to her. She smiled accusingly and said, "Wise guy." In reply, Dreamer E spun into Dragoon E as payback. Takao chuckled, "You gotta admit, you did pretty good today."

"You think so?" Hiromi smiled.

"Yeah, well, you're not up to _my_ level, but…"

"Heh. Whatever."

"But, you know what? I really think you earned a place in the Infinitia Revolutions E."

"Are you serious?" Hiromi gasped.

"You wanted to get my attention, right?" Takao winked. "You always had it, ya know."

As the two blades tailed each other around and around the stadium, the white dragon and the white unicorn both soared into the magnificent stars of the night sky. As the two shooting stars crossed over the dojo deep in romantic space, Takao and Hiromi both stared up to the sky in quiet solitude…

_Thank you… Takao…

* * *

_

The next day, the sky had turned from dark to blue, and the golden sun brought morning to this side of the earth. High above the grand ocean of clouds, a giant plane majestically tore through the soft clouds. Inside the clean, high-maintenance area of 1st class, the Infinitia Revolutions E was quietly settled in the soft comfort of their navy seats… except for Daichi. "Ahh! Get me off of this crazy thing! I'm too high! TOO HIGH!" As he wailed and wailed in paranoia, Kyouju groaned and desperately tried to deal with sitting by the panicked child. Takao, Max, and the Great Chairman stared indifferently at the 'spectacle' while Hiromi was chuckling to herself, obviously enjoying Daichi's suffering. Kai was soundlessly sleeping through it while Rei sat by him, ignoring everything and lost in thought as he stared out the window. _"…It is something only the both of us can do…"_ The voice of his master continued to ring through his head, and Rei continued to ponder over his impending fate…

_What are we doing this for?_

_Master…

* * *

_

**_NEXT TIME…_**

_Kyouju: I never thought we would come here again… Ahh!_

_Max: Kyouju's been captured? Who…?_

_Alex: Max, it's time to finish this! I'll show you what happens when I'm serious!_

_Hiromi: All of us are being pulled apart! Just where is everyone?_

_Takao: Hey! My Dragoon Eclipse! It's been… stolen! Rei, what's going on here?_

**_"Revelations Over Fire"_**

_Kai: It's just you and me… Kitsune._


	6. Revelations Over Fire

Snow.

A massive curtain of white snow fell upon the vast, cold land. Deep within it, the silhouette of a large facility was visible. It was an airport along the outskirts of a nearby city. Sitting along the fairway was a familiar plane. And outside of it… was a shivering Takao. Desperately holding on to his body to summon what little heat he had, chills vibrated around his very person. "I, I, I, forrrrgotttt abouuuut thheeee we, weatherrrrrr herrrrrrrre," he shivered violently.

From the door of the plane, Hiromi cried out to him, "Takao, you idiot! What are you doing out there without a coat!"

"I, I, I, didnnnnn't thiiiiink it would beeeee so coldddd."

"You're a wimp, Takao," Daichi's voice called.

Takao frowned down at the small down but gasped once he noticed that Daichi was also standing out in the wild cold with no coat but didn't seem to be affected at all! "W, w, w, what! Howwww…!"

"…Am I standing here?" Daichi grinned. "I'm the 'monkey boy' from the wilderness, remember? I learned to adapt to any surrounding, no matter how hot or cold. Bet you feel pretty stupid, huh?"

"I, I, I, haaaaate youuuuuu."

From inside the plane, Hiromi kept yelling out the door. "Takao, get in here right now!" While she was busy, Kyouju, Max, and Rei were already wearing their deep brown coats along with the Great Chairman. "I never thought we would ever set foot here again," Kyouju said.

"I still remember it like it was yesterday," Max nodded.

"I only hope this doesn't turn out to be anything worse than **_BIOVOLT_**," the Great Chairman replied.

"Yeah. Really," Rei murmured.

"Hey, is there anything wrong, Rei?" Max wondered.

"Oh, nothing."

Meanwhile, Kai was holding his coat over his right arm while he stared out through the plane window, out in the deep storm of snow. He wore the gravest expression over his face as several thoughts echoed throughout his mind…

**_Beyblade Lunar Eclipse_**

**_Episode 6: "Revelations Over Fire"_**

After the rushing currents of snowy wind finally dissipated, there was a city covered in sleek white blankets, along with the trees and the very ground. Several buildings were properly lined up next to each other while large, sophisticated conglomerates and monasteries were isolated to shine in their personal glory alone. Few men in thick jackets and scarves journeyed down the cool streets and sidewalks amongst the children running past them and the Infinitia Revolutions E nearby.

**_Moscow, _****_Russia._**

While Daichi took the lead and cheerfully toured his new surrounding, Takao and Company followed the Great Chairman down the sidewalks. "So, what's the plan?" Max asked.

"Well, we're going to stick around Moscow for the night," Kyouju replied. "Then, we'll head to Siberia and find out once and for all just what's going on lately."

"I wish we can go _now_," Takao sighed.

"Save your strength for tomorrow," Rei said. "It may be our last battle."

"Really!" Hiromi huffed. "We can't count on you when it comes to strategy."

"What's that!" Takao hissed.

The Great Chairman only chuckled to himself while Kai quietly followed, still deep in his own thoughts.

Daichi continued looking back and forth in this quiet, snowy city until he spotted someone familiar. "Hey!" he cried. To everyone's surprise, they all spotted Reena standing on the other side of the street, solemnly looking into the wide, blue wonder above her. "Reena!" The pink-haired girl finally pulled away from the skies to find Daichi running to her. Instead of running, she stayed put and faced him. "You came all the way out here, Daichi?" she asked.

"Of course!" Daichi replied sharply. "We still have things to talk about, ya know!"

"Yes. I know."

She threw her sight back to the sky and sighed wearily while Daichi patiently stood by her. "You want to be the best Beyblader of all, right?" she asked.

"What?"

"Answer me."

"Y, yeah. For my father, I must become the world's number one Beyblader."

"I really hope that comes to pass. But, before you do, you must defeat me. Because… **I may know exactly how your father died**."

Daichi was thrown from his complacent composure and stared at Reena in complete disbelief. "Wh… what did you say?"

"That's why I joined my old team again… because I knew I would run into you. It has to be this way… so the both of us can finally settle things in the one way we know how."

"Reena…"

"Just us two… and no one else… can you promise me that?"

Daichi managed to calm down a little and stand upright with tightened fists. "It's a duel. Just us two… and no one else." Reena nodded and reluctantly marched on past the rock-steady boy without another word. Daichi kept his ground and clenched his fists even tighter, his ultimate challenge thoroughly acknowledged.

After Reena had disappeared, the rest of the Infinitia Revolutions E came to Daichi. "Hey, are you okay?" Takao asked.

"I will be," Daichi replied.

Then, he looked up towards his older companions with deep, unnerving eyes, his sight especially targeted after Hiromi. "Don't interfere next time," he quietly murmured. Hiromi was slightly taken aback, but after taking another look in his intense stare, she respectfully nodded in reply. "So, the Saint Generations A team is already here," Max said. "Where do you think the rest of them are?"

"Look!" Kyouju gasped.

Kyouju pointed the others towards a nearby gathering to their right. Sure enough, amongst a well-sized group of children, there was the Saint Generations A.

In a violet Beystadium, an icy-blue Beyblade repetitively struck hard against the familiar crimson Beyblade, Red Salamander Atlas. A young Russian boy in a black beret and thick gray cloaks cried out, "Come on! Do him in!" Meanwhile, his opponent, Alex, smiled confidently and waved one finger at him. "Now, now, don't be so hasty without a plan of action. Or else…" The blue blade came in for one last strike, but Red Salamander quickly faded to the right, circled around it, and swiped underneath the blade to send it flying into the young boy's hand in defeat. Alex caught his own blade and shrugged indifferently. "…_That_ will happen."

"Aw, man, I lost!" the kid groaned.

With that, each of the other kids fussed amongst themselves, arguing which will challenge Alex next. The red-maned youth laughed as he rubbed over the back of his head cheerfully. "Oh well…"

Nearby, Leo was found watching over a few young boys practicing in a red Beystadium. One green Beyblade was shot into it, but it briefly wobbled from side to side before it gained enough momentum to make a clean dash forward. "Good recovery," Leo nodded. "But, you must have a good and steady launch consistently."

"Yes, Shishin-sensei," the kids collectively replied.

Meanwhile, a young lass in innocent blue robes sat patiently like a statue on a chair as someone before her was drawing her portrait over a canvas. While Nanami was by him, soothingly playing her gorgeous melody on her violin, Boss could quickly put his artistic vision to brilliant, colorful strokes of beauty. "Finished," he said. After Nanami finished her own melody, Boss turned his painting over to the young girl. She was instantly ecstatic. "Wow! That's incredible, Banken-oniichan!"

"You think so?" Boss smiled warmly.

"I'm gonna keep it forever! Thank you so much!"

With that, the young girl was given the portrait and she cheerfully hopped back home with it. Nanami nudged Boss playfully and said, "That looked nothing like her." Boss flattened down his eyes and scowled at her. "I don't think Reena would appreciate that impression of her."

"I'm just filling in for her. She's not feeling like herself, though."

"Just give her more time. She'll bounce back eventually."

"I hope so."

While they all were collectively giving the young kids company, the Infinitia Revolutions E team was in awe of the warmhearted display. "The Saint Generations A…" Takao awed.

"They don't seem so bad… looking at this," Hiromi added.

"Just what I've suspected from them," the Great Chairman said. "They are a lot like you all: a strong, competitive team but a spirited, good-natured group of Beybladers eager to be there for the ones who look up to them. That's why I couldn't believe they were as bad as you claimed them to be."

"Yeah; they seem quite nice," Max nodded.

"You think it could be a trick?" Takao wondered.

"Oh, _come on_," Hiromi sighed.

In the mean time, Kai was busy staring towards the bench near the streets to find Fox sitting there, watching over her fellow teammates with a small grin. Then, Alex sauntered over to her with a wide smile. "Kitsune, BABY. Some kids want to challenge ya."

"I don't do training exercises," Fox replied. "And I told you before to _never_ call me that."

"Aw, come on; it's better than 'FOXY LADY,' isn't it? And even tamer than 'SEXY DYNAMITE.' Or how about this…?"

"I don't do pet names either," she sighed in exasperation.

"Okay, I got it! 'SUPERMODEL BEAUTY!'"

Fox twitched impatiently in reply. "Stick with _one_ name, IDIOT."

"Hey!" Alex pouted. "You're using my English against me! That's not fair!"

Fox chuckled to herself in reply, faintly blushing.

After a moment, Fox's attention was drawn to Kai once she laid eyes on him. She slightly frowned and sat up from the bench while she kept her eyes locked with his. Quickly following Alex, Boss and the others finally noticed the Infinitia Revolutions E in their midst. The Saint Generations A gathered together and stood in opposition with Takao's team. "Well, well, look who came all the way out here," Alex greeted. "Nice seeing you guys here."

"So, what are you doing here?" Boss asked seriously.

Takao replied, "The same thing you guys are doing. We're going to get to the bottom of what's been going on. We're heading to Siberia tomorrow."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Nanami asked. "You might not like what you'll find there."

"We came all this way," Daichi shot back. "We're not gonna turn away now."

"That's right," Hiromi nodded. "The Great Chairman did too much for us just to throw it away."

"He did the same for us," Boss said. "I have no problems with you being here. Just stay out of the way. And Takao… I'll warn you one last time. You mustn't fight with Shiroryuu."

With that, Boss' team left their rivals alone to ponder their next move.

After the Saint Generations left, Takao tightened his fist and stared down into the ground in wonder. "What could he mean by that? Does he know something?" As Takao was left to think, Rei stared after him mysteriously amongst his own thoughts. Meanwhile, the Great Chairman solemnly watched Boss' team leaving his sights. "Apparently, he's still not quite over it."

"What's that, Great Chairman?" Kyouju asked. "Could you be talking about that 'event' you spoke of before?"

"Yes. But, I'm not at liberty to say. Just wait; I'm sure they'll tell you sooner or later. At any rate, let's check in at the hotel."

"Um, right."

With that, everyone began to follow the Great Chairman to the place where they'll rest for the night. But, Takao stopped to see that Kai was standing his ground, his eyes widen under his bangs and his mouth opened wide. "Kai?" Takao wondered. Suddenly, Kai ran off in severe urgency while the others slowly reacted and followed him into a nearby graveyard.

Inside the gates of the graveyard, Kai past many tombstones standing strong in rows and columns across the snow. Finally, he made it in front of a significantly larger slab of stone and scaled it with a bewildered stare. Meanwhile, the others soon caught up to him. "Hey, what's the idea running off without warning like that!" Daichi pouted.

"Kai, is there something wrong?" Hiromi wondered.

The Great Chairman looked up the tombstone and gasped as soon as he read whose grave it was. "Oh my…!"

The Infinitia Revolutions E all stared up at the large, expensive slab of stone to find gorgeous calligraphy engraved on it.

**_"To you, forgive your powerless lover_**

**_I shall remember you always_**

**_Madame Izayoi Satsujin"_**

Kai's arms were noticeably trembling as he focused hard on this woman's grave. Takao wondered, "Did you… know this woman?"

"She…" Kai replied slowly. "She's… **my mother**."

A wave of shock quickly washed over the entire team as they reflected on this situation. "Your… mother?" Hiromi repeated.

"Was this the first time you seen this?" Max asked.

"**Grandfather**… never told me," Kai replied with a quiet hiss.

"**Voltaire**…, or **Souichirou** rather, never said anything to me either," the Great Chairman said. "But… I'm not the least bit surprised."

Kai quickly turned to the Chairman with a dirty glare and clenched his teeth. "My **father** is still alive, isn't he?"

"Well…"

"You had a picture of him. I saw it, remember?"

_…Takao and the others began to walk out the office, Kai briefly stopped in his tracks once he saw a photograph lying on the floor. It was a peculiar picture of himself and a somewhat familiar man with a long white mane both in impressive black suits. Kai picked it up and looked at it briefly. He walked to the Great Chairman and silently gave it back to him. After the old man took it, Kai just turned away to rejoin the others… briefly twitching to himself…_

Kai confronted the Great Chairman impatiently, tightening his fists. Defeated, the Great Chairman bowed down his head and sighed. "He was a very dear friend. We both began the BBA project together. He was a wise scientist with an undying lust for knowledge for the benefit of others. But, an incident between your father and grandfather ensued, directly resulting in dear Izayoi's death. It all happened when you were very young. After Izayoi was given a proper burial, he soon disappeared. I'm afraid I have no idea where he is now, and since he's gone, your grandfather was officially the only living family you had left."

Kai finished for him, "So, I had to go to him."

"Since Voltaire is still serving time," Takao said, "that means you're living by yourself."

"That's right."

"That's terrible," Hiromi gasped emotionally.

Kai turned back to the tombstone once more, this time with a determined stare…

_Now… I'm ready to meet you…

* * *

_

As night quickly blanketed over all of Moscow, few beams of light shone from the large wooden building at the west of the city. Inside, Daichi threw himself over a comfortable bed with a giant yawn. Nearby in the large bedroom, Max sat over his own bed while Takao was already lying over his own with his hands behind his head. "It's gonna be a big day tomorrow," Max said.

"Yeah, I can feel that something big is gonna happen after we wake up," Takao agreed.

"The Siberian BeySoldiers… the Saint Generations A… either way, we're opposing them all."

"Doesn't matter. I'm gonna win, no matter what."

"Doesn't Boss' warning intimidate you even a little?" Rei asked from a bed across from them.

"What do I have to worry about? Shiroryuu and I are a team; nothing's going to happen between us. That Holy Beast, Luna, was the best thing that could ever happen to us!"

"The readings still show that his new powers are unstable," Kyouju explained, "but Takao has full control for quite a while. So, I think it's safe to say that there's no real risk involved."

"See, Rei? Don't worry; we'll be just fine tomorrow," Takao grinned.

Rei smiled back halfheartedly and turned away. "If you say so," he said.

"Look at Daichi; he's fast asleep," Max observed teasingly. "You can tell that tomorrow doesn't worry _him_ too much either."

As everyone laughed, Kai was already lying underneath the covers of his bed, but unbeknownst to everyone, he discreetly eyed Rei over his shoulder with a look of suspicion…

* * *

Later that night, darkness blanketed over the quiet city of Moscow. Dim rays of light shone from atop of poles on opposing sides of the empty streets. But, a small shadow crept through the faint spotlight. A mysterious figure was lurking within the deep shadows, heading towards the lifeless hotel…

Back inside the dark hotel, Takao and the others were fast asleep. Daichi was heard snoring in the background, unable to stir any of the others from their deep, comfortable trance. But, someone was there, walking amongst them. The silhouetted figure crept in between Rei and Kai's beds and stood before Takao's. While Max randomly tossed and turned in his bed, Takao lain still with a powerful snore that rivaled Daichi's. There was a bedstool by his bed, and in a half-opened drawer, his Beyblade gear was found inside. A hand was slowly guided toward the drawer. It was guiding toward Takao's gear. It was guiding for Dragoon Eclipse.

* * *

Moments later, the same shadowy figure quickly ran out the hotel and rested against the wall, panting hard from the nerving pressure. With the silver Beyblade tightly in hand, the mystery thief nervously tried to regain a clear breathing pace. Eventually calming down, the figure prepared to fade into the shadows. But, a familiar voice called from behind. "Explain yourself." Underneath the faint beams of light, there was Kai, his arms crossed and his eyes reflected an accusing glare… a glare directed towards Rei.

Rei breathed heavily as he stared back at Kai with a steady gleam in his golden eyes. "I've fallen lower than I ever thought possible," he replied. "But… if this continues…"

"You were loyal only to your master from the very beginning, correct?" Kai said.

Rei couldn't reply, but the lack of a defensive response made it very clear. "How much do you know about whom we're up against?" Kai demanded.

"I don't know. I only know what my master told me."

"So, the Saint Generations A, then."

Rei bowed his head in defeat, clinging tighter and tighter to the blade he stole. Then, suddenly, two Beyblades flew past Rei and attacked Kai! He quickly leapt out of the way and left the two blades to crash into the snowy ground. Rei suddenly turned around and gasped to find two of the Siberian BeySoldiers right behind him, Colonel Mizuno and Sergeant Inada!

Rei jumped away from them to distance himself, but Inada's gray Beyblade suddenly flew at him and struck his right hand hard. He flinched and inadvertently dropped Dragoon Eclipse. Then, a tall, sapphire-colored Beyblade flew up and struck the silver blade into the air. Then, it dropped right into Mizuno's hand! Rei gasped, "Dammit!" The two soldiers grinned derisively at the two youths, taunting them with Takao's blade in their clutches. "Thanks a lot, kid," Inada laughed. "Couldn't have done it without ya."

"Why you! Give that back!" Rei cried.

"Like that's gonna happen."

"Now that we finally have the white dragon, everything will finally come to a climax," Mizuno declared.

Kai ran to Rei's side and clenched his teeth. "We can't let them take that Beyblade, right?" he said.

"Right!" Rei replied. "Even though I betrayed you, they're _always_ the enemy!"

"What, you wanna challenge us for it?" Inada smiled. "Come on; give it your best shot!"

The challenge acknowledged, Kai revealed his rip cord by pulling it out his sleeve by his teeth. He spun around and pulled his Grip Shooter from his back pocket hook, immediately loading his rip cord in it over his head. The twin tails of his scarf flew by, and Kai faced his adversary once more, locking in his Dranzer Eternal, and prepared to pull the cord. Meanwhile, Rei roared the sky as he dramatically pulled both his Grip Shooter and his ripcord from behind his back before an elegant body counter-spin while loading the cord in it. Then, he threw out his hand before him, his Driger Edge in his palm, and briskly locked it into his shooter, creating a brief spark of lightning. Kai and Rei both cried out, "GO! SHOOT!" as they simultaneously released their respective Beyblades into battle.

Dranzer E and Driger E both raced towards their opposition with full force, even through the thick snow surface. They clashed with the soldiers' blades hard and easily drilled them backward. Mizuno felt their power wash over him and wear him down. "Not bad," he said. "But it's MY turn!" Suddenly, the sapphire blade Dranzer E grinded against stood its ground and gradually began to push it back! Kai frowned and exerted a bit more of his strength to endure Mizuno's force to break even between the two blades. "**Lancer Leviathan**, keep pounding like waves washing over the shore!" With that, the blue Beyblade gave off the image of an oceanic wave beat down on Kai's blade, pushing it back one strike after another. Kai grinned in intrigue. "To think… there are still adults around who plays the game so well." The noise clearly enough to get their attention, Takao and the rest of his team ran out the hotel and beheld the battle. "Those guys again!" Takao frowned.

"Kai! Rei!" Max cried.

Meanwhile, Driger E was swiftly pulling its weight against the gray and jagged-edged Beyblade from all sides. But, it appeared to have no effect, as the white blade was briefly sent backward from each strike. Rei hissed as cool air visibly escaped past his lips. "It's like repetitively hitting a steel wall! His blade's like an impenetrable shell!" he thought.

Inada grinned maniacally, "Heh! Try as you might, my **Cold Stallion** will never break! Now, trample him!"

Obeying its blader's command, Cold Stallion ran after Driger E, quickly strike over it in clean smash attacks that appeared in transparent afterimages. It was like a stampede of wild horses running right over whatever was in their path! Rei clenched his fangs in brief intimidation… until a wily grin crept over his face. Inada twitched violently, "What's that for, huh!" Suddenly, after one more thrust, Driger E suddenly disappeared in blinding speed! Then, before he knew, Dranzer Eternal suddenly was found running at Cold Stallion in the streaking form of a massive fiery ball of energy! Mizuno observed his partner's plight and directed Lancer Leviathan to help, but it's suddenly surrounded by nine multiple images of Driger Edge! "_**Nine Life Edge**!_" As Rei's voice echoed across the battleground, all nine blades met at the center, striking Lancer Leviathan hard and throwing Mizuno clear off his feet into a brilliant flash of light! Next, Kai cried out, "_**Eternal Candle**!_" and Dranzer E clashed with Cold Stallion, steadily breaking through its steel shell and throwing Inada to the ground. The soldiers fallen, both Lancer Leviathan and Cold Stallion fell before them, their revolutions coming to a halt.

The battle over, everyone at the sidelines all sighed in relief. "That was a close one," Max said.

"A brilliant strategy," Kyouju replied, looking over the battle once more in his laptop. "Seeing Mizuno and Inada's strengths, Kai and Rei switched opponents; Kai's pure strength can break through Cold Stallion's steel wall while Rei's ability to strike at all sides cripples Lancer Leviathan's frontal wave attack."

"So, what's going on here!" Takao wondered impatiently. "Where's my Beyblade!"

Rei picked up his Driger E and had his back to his team silently. Kai and everyone else awaited his answer while he went to Mizuno's side to take Dragoon Eclipse back from him. "Takao… I'm sorry, but… I've seen what happened in that Universe City Tournament a year ago," he said. "So, I know… I know that Shiroryuu is the next 'Cross Dragoon,' the Holy Beast that nearly **wiped out the entire planet**!" With this startling revelation, everyone was caught off guard. "That's right," a voice said. "I could never forget it." Suddenly, right behind the Infinitia Revolutions, there was Boss, Uehara Banken.

Boss bowed down his head solemnly and tightened his fist. "A Holy Beast just like yours… was on the verge of destroying the world. It even took control of someone most precious to me to do it. I'm not going to let that happen again. The world will never see another **_Cross Dragoon_**!"

"Cross… Dragoon?" Takao repeated.

Next, another figure greatly hidden in the shadows appeared, far from everyone but in between Boss and Rei. It was Leo, Ou Shishin. "Master," Rei murmured.

"It's as he says," Leo said. "Shiroryuu mustn't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The consequences are too great."

"No!" Takao protested. "I don't care what happened before! It's not going to happen because he's my partner, my friend! He's not some crazy monster! Is that really how you see all Holy Beasts? Do you really think they're just monsters that will run amuck one day?"

"You don't understand; _this_ Holy Beast is…" Rei began to explain.

Before he could finish his sentence, Mizuno and Inada suddenly rose to their feet and grabbed Rei by his arms!

Everyone gasped while they beheld Rei trying to struggle from the two men's hold over him. Inada snickered, "Damn, you really believe his nonsense, kid?"

"It's only natural," Mizuno added coldly. "A pupil always holds his master to his every word."

"What's that mean?" Rei hissed.

"Dammit, Captain, you sure like to complicate things."

When Inada said that, it was directed towards Leo. Rei stared in unnerving wonder while Boss' eyes began to widen. "Shishin… you can't be…" Sure enough, Leo emerged from the shadows underneath a nearby spotlight… wearing a sleek black uniform just like the other soldiers!

Leo marched toward the large gathering while chains hanging from his pockets rattled. "My name is Ou Shishin," he said, "but to the Siberian Army, I am known as **Captain Blackleo**, the leader of the BeySoldiers you have encountered to this point."

"Master," Rei murmured, his jaw trembling in shock. "You…"

"I can't believe this," Boss hissed. "You would betray us?"

"I don't expect you to forgive me, Banken. But, I told you when I rejoined the team… that I will do whatever I can for the sake of everyone."

With that, Mizuno and Inada slowly crept backward into the darkness with a defeated Rei as their hostage. "Rei!" the Infinitia Revolutions team cried. But, after Blackleo followed them, the BeySoldiers disappeared in their retreat into darkness.

Max bowed down his head in defeat and punched one fist into his free palm. "Pretty low of them to strike in the middle of the night… I'll never forgive them!"

Kyouju reflected on the situation, "Dragoon Eclipse is stolen, Rei is captured, and his master, one of the Saint Generations A members, betrayed us all. What else can go wrong?"

"We still have to fight," Takao said. "Harder than ever!"

"Absolutely," Hiromi nodded. "We'll get Dragoon Eclipse back and Rei too!"

"You can say that again!" Daichi added.

While everyone collectively focused on their mission come the sunrise, Kai stared up at the sky, his grip over his Dranzer Eternal tightening anxiously…

* * *

"WHERE ARE YOU, KAI?"

The next day, Takao and everyone else were all gathered before the front of the hotel along with the Great Chairman… except for Kai. Takao cried out again, "Argh! Now, Kai's gone missing! He better not turn traitor, too!"

"I don't think so," Hiromi replied indifferently.

"Maybe he's gone on ahead," Max suggested. "He lived here part of his life, after all."

"Why can't he wait for the rest of us?" Takao pouted.

"Because _you_ were the last one to wake up," Daichi teased.

"Shut it!"

"Now, now," the Great Chairman interrupted. "It's not good to argue now. Our helicopter is ready for us."

Takao clapped his hands over his cheeks a couple good times and dramatically pointed toward the outskirts of Moscow. "All right then! Let's hit the road!"

* * *

Far in the wide land of white, the wind gently blew across a frozen pool. Among several boulders protruding from a snowy mound, Fox was found comfortably resting over one, her arms crossed and her eyes hidden under her bangs. Patiently, she lied there, appearing to be waiting for someone. Sure enough, someone was heading her way through the calm sleet of snow. Sensing the approach, Fox sat up and leapt down to the bottom of the hill to meet her guest. After the wind dispersed once again, twin tails from a scarf was free from the blustery currents to just hang down behind a familiar figure's back. Kai emerged from the winds and stood face to face with Fox.

Quietly, the two exchanged piercing glares to one another in nearly perfect symmetry. As brief thrusts of air casually flew by, Kai held up Dranzer Eternal to his adversary in defiance. "Right now, I don't care about my allegiance to my team or what those BeySoldiers are planning," he declared. "Right now, this is just between you and me; no one and nothing else matters."

"Of course," Fox smiled.

Their eminent duel aroused their fighting spirits and by each Beyblader, their respective Holy Beast appeared in physical form. Fox's Vyx howled savagely as Kai's Suzaku shrieked to the cloudy skies…

* * *

Several minutes later, a deep black helicopter soared from the ground towards the high skies. Down below, the remainder of the Infinitia Revolutions E stood on top of a snowy mound a short distance from their destination. Just a few yards away, there was a large steel facility in the form of a massive hut, cold and lifeless. With a plate of snow lain over it, the building bore no windows or any trace of vision from the inside. Electricity violently ran from the cables at both sides of it, giving whatever within vast and multiple surges of power. "This is it," the Great Chairman said. "This is the **Steel Keep**."

"It looks… so cold and lonely," Hiromi replied.

"But, a lot of power and electricity is directly focused towards it," Kyouju explained, observing his laptop's stats. "_Way_ too much."

"Something big is going down in there," Max deduced.

"Well, there's no turning back now," Takao said. "Let's go."

Kyouju cried, "Wait, Takao."

Takao turned back to his friend who held to him a small white Beyblade with nonchalant red markings. "Take this **Master Dragoon** I had in reserve. It should hold you over until we get Dragoon Eclipse back."

"No, I don't need it," Takao declined. "Dragoon Eclipse is what I need."

"Takao, we'll need your help if we're forced into a battle," Max protested. "Please take it."

Takao suddenly cried, "No! I want Shiroryuu!"

Everyone was caught off guard by his sudden cry while Takao steadily realized what was going on. He shook his head and sighed, "I… I'm sorry, everyone. I'll take it." With that, the young boy took Master Dragoon with a bit of reluctance. "You're acting weird," Daichi shrugged. "Come on; let's get this over with."

Takao nodded, "Yeah!"

With that, the Infinitia Revolutions E started off to reach the Steel Keep in the distance, the base of their constant adversary…

* * *

Within the keep, two figures were walking together across the bright metal halls. It was Captain Blackleo along with Colonel Mizuno. "Where did you put Rei?" Blackleo asked.

"Don't worry; he's safely put in the basement," Mizuno replied. "How about you concentrate on more important things now that we finally have the white dragon?"

"We won't be able to start anything until we manage to pull it from its Beyblade."

"Our leader won't wait forever."

"Tell him for me that he won't have to wait long. Now that we have _both_ the keys of value, the plan can finally begin."

"Hmph."

Mizuno proceeded to hasten his walking speed to leave Blackleo to himself. After he disappeared from his sight, the dark-haired man stopped by one noticeable door and marched inside. There, he was inside a laboratory oriented with a massive super computer. He found one scientist in a white lab coat working along at the controls while observing the other side of a clear window.

On the other side of the window, an orange bird Holy Beast was standing inside a tall white room in the shape of a cylinder. It cried nervously, flapping about violently while it tried to find a way out of its claustrophobic space. While Blackleo watched quietly, the scientist proceeded to push one of the buttons on the control panel. Back in the white room, an enormous fan built underneath the floor of the room was suddenly activated. As the blades began to accelerate, the growing currents of wing gradually carried the Holy Beast upwards! It flapped its wings to control itself, but the wind dramatically began to overpower it. But, the large bird frantically kept trying, especially when it saw the sharp and deadly spikes protruding from the ceiling! It was an apparent test of strength, but as the scientist observed, it was steadily failing. Weakening, the Holy Beast was slowly being pulled closer to the spikes above. While it continued flapping its wings in desperation, its deep brown eyes seemed to be overwhelmed in tears. It shut its eyes and finally gave in to exhaustion… and its fate. In an instant, the great bird was sent up towards the ceiling…

SHRIEK!

Disappointed, the scientist pressed the button to shut off the fan and bowed down his head. In the white room, everything was silent. Not one noise was audible. Then, a single glowing orange feather fluttered onto the floor, disappearing upon contact.

Blackleo unnervingly watched this brutality and looked down towards the scientist. "Who authorized this experiment?"

"Why, the leader himself," the lab coat replied. "He said to continue the experiments, even if what we're searching for is in our hands."

"Cease any other tests for now. As long as I control this station, everything shall run as I see fit. Understand?"

"Y, yes sir."

Then, as he stared down at a computer screen built in the control panel, the scientist took a look outside the facility, spotting the Infinitia Revolutions E on camera. "Captain, we have intruders."

"Ah, Rei's friends," Blackleo observed. "Let **Angriff** take care of them."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Back outside, Takao and his team stood a few feet from the keep, looking around for some sort of entrance. "So, how do we get in?" Daichi wondered.

"I doubt they'll just have an entrance waiting for someone like us," Hiromi said.

"Kyouju, can you scan this building?" Max asked.

"I have to connect my laptop to the keep if I'm going to do that," Kyouju answered.

"Looks like we'll have to work fast," Takao replied. "We got company."

Answering to Takao's observation, everyone found that several dark BeySoldiers were running right out of the steel wall in a militant and uniform formation! Before them, there stood nearly 35 soldiers in a single platoon!

As the soldiers stood in still attention, another soldier marched in front of them. He was a muscular-looking man with short crimson hair and a deep green uniform similar to the other lead soldiers from before. He casually held his rifle across his shoulder and stared after the Infinitia Revolutions E team. "I am **Lieutenant Angriff**. Let me be first to welcome you to Steel Keep. Now, leave immediately," he declared in a deep and gruff tone of voice.

"Some welcome!" Takao shot back. "One of your pals stole something important to me! I want it back!"

"Don't forget about one of our friends you kidnapped!" Max added.

"Stubborn brats," Angriff growled. "You're just like how the Captain described. Then, I shall trample you pathetic lot here."

With that, his fleet of BeySoldiers simultaneously locked into generic gray blades into their 'Bey-Rifles' and aimed them towards the intruders defensively, ready to battle.

Takao and his team quickly took the time they had left to regroup. "Looks like I might use this Master Dragoon, after all," Takao said.

"Let's take them down together!" Max winked.

"You can count me in!" Daichi added.

"Me too," Hiromi nodded.

"Kyouju, you saw that they all came out of an invisible door, right?" Takao said. "Take the Great Chairman and try to find it while we keep them busy."

"You got it; leave it to us," Kyouju agreed.

"Yes. But, just be careful," the Great Chairman nodded.

With that, Takao, Hiromi, Max, and Daichi stood defiantly before Angriff's large army while Kyouju took the Great Chairman to safer ground. Angriff waved his hand forward and cried, "Ground Battalion, attack!" With that, all 35 of his men fired their blades in a steady assault wave, blanketing the skies above the young kids. But, the four members of the Infinitia Revolutions E team were ready with their blades already linked to their shooters. Together, they cried, "GO! SHOOT!" In energetic and accurate shots, Master Dragoon, Dreamer Excalibur, Draciel Endless, and Gaia Dragoon Earth were thrust into battle.

Gaia Dragoon E's heavy build pulled itself down from the sky, drilling straight through a couple of blades in mid-flight. While they broke on impact to the snowy ground, Master Dragoon ran across the field, swiftly striking the four blades in its path. Meanwhile, Draciel E grinded and shoved against two blades that went on the attack until it returned a smash attack over the both of them. Six gray Beyblades held Dreamer Excalibur from all sides, grinding hard over it to deplete its spin power. But, Dreamer's special ability was absorbing their energy until the ruby-colored blade shoved them all away, breaking them into pieces in an instant! Takao laughed, "This is too easy! I don't need my Dragoon Eclipse to waste the likes of you!"

"Yeah!" Daichi cried.

With that, both Master Dragoon and Gaia Dragoon E aligned together until their attack rings gently sparked against each other. Both Takao and Daichi cried, "**Team-up! Twin Tornado Attack!**" With that, two currents of wind erupted around each blade and twirled around each other. The two tornadoes blew past several gray Beyblades, destroying all that touched it! Meanwhile, Dreamer E leapt into the air and landed over Draciel E as they both ran towards the remaining enemy Beyblades. "**Team-up!**" Hiromi and Max cried. "**Tsunami Excalibur!**" As Draciel E quickly ran across the battle ground, it took on the form of a rising wave of water, carrying Dreamer E higher and higher above their opponents. Absorbing the power Draciel gave, Dreamer glowed with an intense aquamarine aura while it was thrown down at group of gray blades, exploding upon impact! As the white fog cleared, Dreamer E continued spinning among the shattered rubble of Beyblade parts.

Angriff observed the battle with intrigue. "Hmm. They are strong. The Captain might have been accurate to say that they're just as strong as the Saint Generations A team." Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that Kyouju and the Great Chairman were busy trying to discover the invisible door to the keep. "Hey! I told you that you're not welcome here!" The two gasped as Angriff aimed a brown, tall, and triple-armored Beyblade locked in his Bey-Rifle at them. Then, without any discreet and mercy, he fired this massive blade at them! Kyouju and the Great Chairman couldn't move away in time…

Suddenly, two Beyblades, a familiar black top with crimson shades and a brilliant, golden one with black and red markings, flew together through the cool air and tackled the giant blade! The Great Chairman sighed in relief as he recognized what rescued him and Kyouju. "You made it in the nick of time." Kyouju turned around and was surprised to find none other than Boss and Nanami as their saviors. With Alex and Reena behind them, the remainder of the Saint Generations A team had arrived!

Takao and the others noticed that Boss and his teammates had appeared. "You guys!" Takao gasped.

Angriff hissed, "I didn't think you'd show up so soon."

Boss ignored the BeySoldier as both his blade and the other returned to him and Nanami respectively. He turned to the Infinitia Revolutions E team and sighed in exasperation. "Takao, we don't have much time. The white dragon must not be used for their evil purpose. So, I request a truce for now."

"You want us to join forces? After all that's happened?" Takao replied negatively.

"There's no time to argue. We'll settle our score as soon as this is over."

"I don't know. But, I guess there's no time to dwell on it. All right; it's a truce!"

Angriff's Beyblade still spun violently, throwing up clouds of thin snow around it. "You think I'm going to let you enter without permission!" Angriff cried. "**Ground Mammoth**, attack!" With that, the giant spinning top ran at both teams until a familiar green blade blocked its path. It was Draciel Endless! "Max!" Takao cried.

"Go on ahead! I'll keep him busy!" Max declared.

Then, the red Beyblade, Red Salamander Atlas, flew down to the ground and joined Draciel in pushing Ground Mammoth back. Max noticed that Alex was by his side with a wily smile. "We'll take care of him together," he said. With that, Takao and Boss both followed Kyouju and the Great Chairman and led their remaining and respective teammates through the invisible door inside the Steel Keep. And both Max and Alex stayed behind to deal with Angriff together…

* * *

Dranzer Eternal spun patiently over the thin icy surface with Kai standing behind it. Before him, Vyx Amethyst stood its ground as Fox faced him with an opposing glare. The two quietly stared each other down as the cool wind gently blew past, both finding the appropriate opportunity. Suddenly, an eroded piece of rock fell from a nearby stone wall. Reacting to the breaking of stone, both blades quickly ran at each other into battle!

Dranzer E howled bravely as it ran closer and closer to its opponent. Vyx A proceeded to charge in swift, zigzag movements as it finally clashed with its adversary. Quickly taking on the attack, Dranzer pulled forward. But, the yellow blade dodged left and struck its side twice. After it delivered a third strike, Dranzer caught it and retaliated with two clean and strong blows. Fox was slightly shoved across her feet until she recovered and waved a hand forward. Vyx circled around and went to attack once more, but Dranzer flew over it. After it landed, it quickly and repetitively smashed over Vyx in accurate blows. Then, after one last strike, Vyx caught it, and both blades grinded against each other while spinning in a complete circle. After six complete rotations, the yellow blade literally threw Dranzer E to the air. Kai flew upwards and recovered just in time to throw his hands downward to direct his blade to drill right onto Vyx A. As the sparks flickered brilliantly, Vyx bucked Dranzer from it and left it to land on the ground before it in a stationary position. The fire in Kai's eyes ignited along with his very blade as he cried, "Go, Dranzer!" The fiery blue Beyblade rushed towards its opponent in an attempt to deliver the first damaging blow.

A sea of golden fiery energy raged over Vyx Amethyst. As it continued to infinitely blaze, Fox's right hand pulled through the flames, her claw-like nails flaring up intensely. While her hand pulled five blades of energy over her hand, the cry of a wild fox wailed in the background. "**_Blast Fang!_**" With her own cry echoing along with it, she waved her hand forward in the form of a claw, its energy brimming through the ground below. As Vyx Amethyst was carried along the sharp wave of power, the image of the yellow fox Holy Beast, Vyx, ran alongside it with a valiant battle cry!

Vyx's special attack overcame Dranzer's own upon impact and sent it flying back! The fiery claws swiped across Kai's own body and also threw him from his feet, him crying out in pain! But, in reply of Dranzer E recovering, he somersaulted in midair and landed on his feet. Vyx A continued running after Dranzer while still in its attack aura. Kai lifted his head with a stern look and threw his fist down hard on the ground. Dranzer E briefly gave off a white aura, and once Vyx A connected with it, its attack phase was immediately canceled out! Suddenly, Dranzer's awesome power flared around it once again and gradually began to push Fox back amongst its own wave of flames. She noticed the ice around them was beginning to melt and shut her eyes patiently. "_Oh, gentle being, I ask that you come forth to deliver protection,_" she whispered."_Heed me now, the holder on the pact._"

"I seen that before," Kai thought in wonder.

"**_Please, Shield Fox! Divine Shell!_**"

Suddenly, icy waters surrounded Fox's very person while the face of a vixen's dark, ruby-eye patch reflected over the wall it formed. Dranzer's attack power dispersed once again while Dranzer grinded against an impenetrable wall of ice in front of Fox. Kai observed Fox's defensive play in awe. "Like I thought, you're a **magic user **or rather a **summoner**. You can invoke the power of the Holy Beasts that are directly ancestral to your primary Holy Beast. I heard about that, but very few can actually pull it off."

"Hmm. You're very knowledgeable," Fox chuckled. "You now seen both my summon attacks since I used **Cardinal Fox's Wild Drive** attack on you last time. But, there's so much more you haven't seen yet. Such as…"

With that, she placed her left hand over the ice wall, and the jewel embedded in the back of this hand glowed brilliantly. Suddenly, the ice wall shattered, and its fragments were fired at both Kai and his Dranzer E! Kai cried out as he and his blade flew over the brittle ice surface, instantly breaking it and falling right into the pool of water below!

As her opponent sunk deeper in the icy depths, Fox tightened her magical left hand with a triumphant grin. "My magic ability. I manipulated the ice into my attack, Blast Fang, to make **Ice Fang**. But still, you haven't seen all I'm capable of yet. And as long as you continue flailing at me like this, you never will." Suddenly, a great cylinder of ice water erupted from the pool and reached up to several feet high! Fox was genuinely surprised once she spotted Kai and Dranzer E standing atop of the watery geyser. "You fool. Did you think _I_ wasn't holding anything back?"

Dranzer Eternal spun in midair as multiple rays of blue energy gathered within it. Kai's hand reached out from under it, and the Beyblade soon combusted into sapphire flames. Rays of fiery power shone from the blade and over Kai's head as he hovered in crimson space. "**_Eternal Candle!_**" As deep red feathers flew past, Kai shut his eyes as he spun around the rings of flames before flailing his hand forward to direct his blade on the attack in the form of a shrieking, incandescent firebird!

Kai's attack quickly flew down at Vyx Amethyst and made an accurate strike over it, its explosive flames burning over Fox's person. Stunned, she knelt down while her Beyblade's spinning rate was greatly decimated. Kai landed on safe ground while Dranzer E came back to his side. After a brief moment to his quiet thoughts, a grin crept over his face. In reply, Fox lifted her head to flash him an annoyed glare, in which grew into a grin as well. She rose back on her feet, and she and Kai both cracked their knuckles readily for their next attack. Both visibly enjoying the battle, Kai and Fox grinned towards each other, almost to the point they appeared to mirror each other. Their respective blades began to glimmer with life once again. The two bladers both clenched their fists simultaneously and sent a great cry to the skies. In reply, both Dranzer Eternal and Vyx Amethyst exploded into raging wildfire!

Holding her left hand in front of her, the aquamarine jewel on the back of Fox's hand glowed with brilliant orange colors until sun-colored magic sparked from it. With blazing magic power in her hand, Fox pulled her arm to the side, creating long ribbon-like streaks of deadly fire around her. As she finally threw her hand above her head, she cried out, "**_Amethyst Enigma!_**" Finally, a raging wave of fiery magic roared around Fox until she was completely engulfed within the crematorium. The golden fox Holy Beast, Vyx, ran through the firewall with a great howl, coming to attack!

Kai took a stiff, meditative stance and roared to summon more of his strength as the fire around his right arm began to glow brighter and expand around it. He quickly stood upright and threw his right arm diagonally from his side, following it as red ashes flew by his passionate ruby pupils. Then, he rammed his right fist into his palm and served as the ignition to a wide crimson aura surrounded him. "**_Eternal Incandescence!_**" With one last mighty yell, the magnificent battle aura suddenly burst into an enormous cylinder of blazing fire as the Red Phoenix of Fire, Suzaku, shrieked behind Kai himself!

Bursting with pure power from the soul, the two blades ran at each other until they finally clashed, creating a massive whirlwind of flames spreading out throughout the battlefield, engulfing both Kai and Fox and everything in the area…

* * *

Angriff roared as he raised his arms over his head. "**_Ground _****_Split!_**" Suddenly, enormous slabs of stone arose from the ground all around him. As the rocks rose and disturbed the natural surface, his Ground Mammoth broke through every stone slab in its way. Meanwhile, both Draciel Endless and Red Salamander Atlas tried hard to leap from rock to rock, but with every rock Ground Mammoth broke, it broke their control. After it obliterated the rock Draciel E stood on, it was thrown underneath a wave of large stones falling right towards it! Max gasped while Angriff grinned derisively. "Now, I have you!" Before it had a chance to get away, Draciel E was completely buried underneath the layers. "Now, for you!" With that, Ground Mammoth leapt on top of one boulder and shattered it the moment it touched it. Then, its physical force of power sent an endless storm of small pebbles to hammer down on Red Salamander. Alex guarded himself as he took the relentless assault head on. "Heh! Not a bad move," he smiled. "Too bad it's all for nothing."

"What?" Angriff scowled.

As Red Salamander kept on forward, a faint, blazing aura began to igniting around it. "**_Bomb Flare!_**" The horned, crimson warrior salamander hissed viciously as its Beyblade poured on its raw power to break through the boulders in its path as well! "Impossible! That was supposed to limit your movements!" Red Salamander circled around and struck Ground Mammoth from behind, grinding it back in great distance and through several stone barriers behind it. Then, it delivered a strong smash attack to send the gigantic blade into the air! "Well, that was an impressive counterattack," Angriff grinned. "But, I'll turn this all around; don't worry."

"On the contrary," Alex smiled back, "it's all over."

"You're bluffing."

"Finish it, Max."

It was then that Angriff realized that his Ground Mammoth was thrown right at the pile of rocks Draciel E was buried under before. To his surprise, beams of green light pierced through the rubble, and it soon exploded! As the light dispersed, Max and Draciel E was seen underneath a liquid field they created. "What!" Angriff gasped.

Max grinned, "I used my Endless Reflect to save ourselves. Now, we'll return the favor as Draciel Endless and I wash you away for good!"

With that, a giant wave of water rose above the airborne Ground Mammoth with Draciel E riding on top of it. "**_Endless Wave!_**" The strong blankets of water poured over the defenseless Beyblade and drilled it hard against the broken ground with a great splash. As the water washed away, Draciel E stood over one rock in stationary above the dead Ground Mammoth lying over the ground.

With their opponent defeated, Draciel and Red Salamander both returned to their respective Beybladers. Max and Alex faced each other and couldn't help but beam a triumphant grin towards each other. "GOOD JOB," Max said in his English tongue.

"YOU, TOO," Alex replied in the same speech.

"Now, let's hurry and join the others."

"You will do no such thing."

The two boys turned towards the Steel Keep and found Angriff faintly seen behind the invisible door. "We'll get your friends soon, so… just sit tight here." Then, once he pressed a button from within, he gradually disappeared from sight. Max quickly ran to where the door was, but he felt nothing but solid, cold steel. He and Alex were both locked outside.

Max rammed his fists over the wall but to no avail. "Damn! We're stuck out here!" Alex came to his side and placed one hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Don't worry; I'm sure they all will be all right."

"But, there's gotta be something we can do."

"There is… one thing."

Max turned to Alex attentively as the red-maned youth tightened his grip over his Beyblade. Then, he held it towards Max and declared, "We can forget all of this for now… and have ourselves a _real_ battle."

"You can't be serious," the blond youth replied indifferently.

"Dead serious."

As he said that, Alex briefly lifted up his visor to show a deadly, emerald-shaded gleam in his silhouetted eyes. The two quietly stared each other down for several moments while the wind softly blew past their feet. "All right," Max finally replied. "Let's do this." Alex grinned in satisfaction, locking his blade onto his launcher. Max also linked his Draciel E to his Grip Shooter and held it out towards his opponent. His sapphire eyes brimmed with half-hearted determination. "You know, don't you?" Alex coolly said. "Do you know why you're fighting?" That question rang many times through Max's head, making him recall many memories. He remembered his loss to Alex before. He also remembered his battle against Orochi. Then, he remembered his answer. His complete fighting spirit echoed through his cleared eyes and his grip tightened over his launcher. "I'm Beyblading for you, Genbu. Even if I'm not with the others right now, my mission is still the same. I'm fighting to protect _you_!"

"GO! SHOOT!" the two boys cried.

With that, Draciel Endless and Red Salamander Atlas were fired once again and met each other in a brilliant clash, the beginning of their ultimate duel…

* * *

Back in the cold wasteland, steam boiled from the warm pools of water nearby. As the translucent fog gradually began to clear, both Fox and Kai were seen on their knees, panting wearily from an exhausting battle. Behind Kai, the red phoenix, Suzaku, in physical form shrieked towards the heavens as it emerged from the thick sleet of steam. And after the clouds dispersed completely, the golden fox, Vyx, was visibly seen lain over the ground, unconscious. Her Beyblade was also seen with a giant cut that reached its very core! "Kai, you've indeed grown so strong," Fox panted with a faint smile. "To think that you inflicted such a wound…"

"I… guess I owe it all to you," Kai replied.

"Hmm."

Suddenly, Fox's Holy Beast regained consciousness and struggled to get back on her feet. "_It's… not over_," she spoke. "_I'll… keep going_."

"That's enough," Fox sighed. "You won't be fighting for the remainder of this duel."

Fox slowly stood back up on her feet and picked up her wounded partner. As she slowly took her away, the weak fox looked up towards Suzaku with a wistful stare. "_I enjoyed fighting you_," she said. The red sparrow cawed in reply as he himself spoke majestically. "_And I you_." With that, Fox laid her wounded Holy Beast behind an available snowy mound and stroked over her neck as she took time to rest.

Fox returned to face Kai once more while he examined the slight damages over his own Beyblade. A wily, malicious grin crept over her face. "So, you proved to best me at half my power. Now, I'll give you _all_ I got." Kai didn't reply as he immediately locked his blade back into his launcher and aimed it at his adversary. Fox chuckled slyly as she scaled up his mighty red phoenix. "I have a very special Beyblade for something like this. It used to belong to my grandfather long ago. I think you may recognize it." With that, she reached under her jacket and pulled an obscured Beyblade out from it. "Do you remember _this_?" Then, she lifted up the blade for Kai to see. Kai's eyes widened the moment he laid eyes over it. It was a black Beyblade with slick green stripes and sharp edges over the three-pronged attack ring. And its Bit Chip was a picture of a large black sparrow with a grayish-white mane, a mirror of Suzaku! Kai cried, "**Black Dranzer**!"

Fox chuckled villainously as she held the familiar blade towards the bewildered Kai. "That's right," she said. "**Black Dranzer Apocalypse**."

"Fox… Kitsune… who… are you?"

As she locked in Black Dranzer to her launcher, her smile quickly faded away as she solemnly stared after him. "Don't hold the Great Chairman responsible for not telling you everything; I wanted you to find out this way." With that, she immediately pulled her ripcord to release the dark Beyblade before her feet. Then, she finally introduced herself. "My name is Kitsune… **Satsujin Kitsune**. I am the daughter and eldest child of Satsujin Izayoi… and **Hiwatari Daigo**." Finally, the black sparrow, **Kurozaku**, appeared behind Kitsune, shrieking violently towards his crimson twin! While the final phase of battle nearing, Kai kept his amazed stare from this startling, unbelievable revelation…

**_She's my… older sister…?

* * *

_**

**NEXT TIME…**

_Kai: Everything's nearly clear. Every piece of the puzzle is almost put together. But, what will become of this? What will it all lead up to? Fire and water will merge into one. Two cries from the red and black sparrows will align. And… and…_

**_What Falls to Hell…_**

_…The white dragon will become... the messenger of death…_


	7. What Falls to Hell

The disturbed, quiet waves of water danced along the surface. Then, red grass quickly trailed over it in a crossing motion. As it blazed along the cool waves, the young blond, Mizuhara Max, was found standing perfectly over the water with a great smile as his Draciel Endless spun beside him. On the opposite side, Red Salamander Atlas spun comfortably in the raging flames as Alexander Masters stood confidently in the middle of the fiery circle. Underneath shades of blue, Max's determination echoed from his focused stare. Meanwhile, intimidating emerald stars beamed underneath Alex's hat and through his crimson blanket. The two awaited the other's attack, the perfect strike, and the perfect opportunity…

The two blades suddenly struck one another, unleashing an awesome shockwave through the dark space. Both Max and Alex were shoved back slightly before turning back to the battle. Their blades clashed once more, both the opposing elemental waves drawing even ground. In blinding speed, Red Salamander roared wildly as it began pounding over the green Beyblade in clean and multiple strikes. The waves of power it released washed over Max as he cried out to gain more strength. The waves of water rose and halted the attack in an instant. Drowning in his defensive play, Alex struggled to regain his bearings with just one extended arm. As the free drops of cool liquid rain upon him, the red-haired youth discovered more of his potential with a mighty cry. Suddenly, the blazing hellstorm intensified and rivaled the relentless tidal wave. The shockwaves erupted more frequently with each power tackle the two blades inflicted upon each other. As Max and Alex roared with limitless spirit in their miniscule pupils, fire and water in the form of their respective sacred spirit danced around each other until they ultimately dived unto one another. The two boys quickly disappeared underneath the surging array of power while the power itself expanded beyond its natural pinnacle, the two elements freely swirling along one another in a massive hurricane-like storm…

_**Beyblade Lunar Eclipse**_

_**Episode 7: "What Falls to Hell…"**_

Deep inside the Steel Keep, in a room full of wooden crates, Rei sat over one of the musty boxes, his head bowing down in shame. He tightened his fists and clenched his teeth while he tried to steady his composure. "Byakko, everyone," he quietly said. "I'm sorry." Suddenly, a faint sound of a roar echoed around the room…

Far above the basement, there was a laboratory within an enormous room roughly in the similar size as any sports stadium. Supercomputers and the like surrounded the entire room while several scientists each took their post at one. Near the middle of the massive room, the white dragon, Shiroryuu, roared ferociously as he struggled to break out of a large capsule he was trapped in. But, in response, the capsule walls burned with a field of electricity and shocked the captive beast, steadily taming him. Beneath him, his respective Beyblade, Dragoon Eclipse, was trapped in its own small capsule while it relentlessly spun on top of a special rod with a caged top to keep it balanced and another, wider pole hovering over it as faint white energy left the blade and into the capsule Shiroryuu was in. Three Siberian BeySoldiers, Mizuno, Inada, and Orochi, were watching with intrigue. Inada grinned tenaciously, "Interesting. So, this machine is basically forcing the white dragon to leave his puny home."

"Precisely," Mizuno replied. "The white dragon may be enough to fulfill our leader's plan, but having the other Sacred Spirits could be useful. That's why I took _this_."

Mizuno reached into his pocket and revealed to his fellow soldiers that he had took Driger Edge from Rei! "So now, we have the white tiger," Orochi said. "Only two more to go."

"Come on, come on!" Inada impatiently chuckled. "Let's see 'em!"

"Patience, Inada," Mizuno sighed.

With that, Mizuno approached one other, blank capsule like the one Shiroryuu was in. He placed Driger Edge in position and pressed a button below it to activate the machine. The small rod began to spun, as while as the white Beyblade. Then, the large pole above it acted as a suction and pulled emerald-colored energy from the blade. Sure enough, in the large capsule, the white tiger, Byakko, began to take physical form and sat in the capsule, oddly tranquil in contrast to Shiroryuu. "Ahh," Inada grinned derisively. "There he is. _Beautiful_. Have I told you guys I _love_ cats?"

"Inada, present arms!" Mizuno ordered.

Quickly, all three soldiers lined up in uniform and simultaneously took their hands above their right eye in the form of a salute. Just before them, a mysterious man in a brown-shaded black uniform and cape outlined with yellow edges approached them. "At ease," he spoke with a gruff, commanding tone of voice. "We've come a long way, have we, men?"

"Yes sir, Commander," Mizuno replied. "We now have two of the four Sacred Spirits, but I'm well aware that only the white dragon was needed."

"The more beasts we have, the better. It might be best to retrieve the remaining two before we proceed."

"Lieutenant Angriff is outside, currently taking care of that, sir."

"You've done well for yourself, Mizuno. You prove to be just as valuable as Captain Blackleo."

Mizuno briefly twitched at the mention of Shishin's alias but quickly regained composure. The Commander grinned villainously, "Before this day is over, the world shall be mine at last." Then, he quietly chuckled and let it grow into a loud, maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the Steel Keep. As Shiroryuu panted wearily, Byakko still remained in his lucid stature, almost resembling a meditative stance of his own. "_Rei_…"

* * *

Beyond the entrance into the Steel Keep, Takao and the others had just found themselves inside an enormous, commodious room in a similar size as a stadium. Daichi looked around curiously and wondered, "Is… this it?" 

"Yeah, it looks just like the same size as how we saw the keep outside," Reena observed.

Kyouju noticed a nearby control switch by the left wall and ran to it. "What is it, Kyouju?" Takao asked.

"Maybe if I press this button…"

With that, Kyouju pressed the big red button on the panel. Almost immediately, the floor suddenly shook underneath everyone! Then, by everyone's surprise, the floor they stood on began to sink slowly underneath the keep. "An elevator," Nanami deduced. "Everything's underground." The floor sunk deeper into the primary room, deeper underground. As soon as it sunk down deep enough, Lieutenant Angriff quickly reappeared and found that he was too late. "Damn! They're on their way down to the bottom of the keep! I better inform the Colonel!"

As the elevator traveled deeper and deeper underground, the joint Infinitia Revolutions E - Saint Generations A team took the moment to relax for the moment. Daichi sat down with a comfortable smile. "Now, I'm sinking underneath the earth itself. What else is there that can top _this_?"

"I wonder what it's really like in the Steel Keep," Kyouju wondered.

"Well, I guess we'll know once we reach the bottom," Hiromi replied.

Takao stared up at the brimming light from the room above with a solemn look over his face. "Kai… Max…"

"You're all right?"

Takao turned from his thoughts to find Boss there beside him. "Yeah, I guess," he answered. "I just hope everyone's okay up there."

"All we can do is focus on what's in front of us right now. The others can take care of themselves."

"Boss, what else do you know about this?"

"I don't quite know everything the BeySoldiers are doing or even who the mastermind who's behind all of this is. I just know that they're looking for the four Sacred Beasts and the Holy Beasts that were seen running free amongst humankind."

"'Free amongst humankind?'" Kyouju wondered. "Do you mean those Holy Beasts that have been reported recently? Like that bat Holy Beast from before?"

"Exactly," Boss confirmed. "You know the recent lunar eclipse, right? I heard that it might have released these special Holy Beasts to the world. They were supposed to be sealed by the ancient **Saint Shields**."

"**Ozma's** clan?" Takao gasped.

"Correct," Nanami nodded. "They are very different from other known Holy Beasts, almost the equivalent to yours. For one thing, they have the ability to assume human form."

"Just like Luna…" Hiromi murmured.

"In the same time these new Holy Beasts appeared," Reena added, "this organization was created. They hunt them down and capture them, looking for the perfect Holy Beast capable of carrying out their plan. It wasn't until Shiroryuu appeared that he became their main target. But, like Banken said, we don't know the exact reason why."

"And that's not all," Boss sighed. "The moment this organization was founded, **Professor Hiwatari** disappeared as well."

"Hiwatari? You mean, Kai's…!" Takao gasped.

"**Hiwatari Daigo**… your friend's father. I'm almost certain that he's here somewhere."

"Daigo, _here_?" the Great Chairman gasped, placing his hand over his heart.

"Kai _would_ not be around," Daichi scowled.

Boss shook his head. "Don't worry; Kitsune is with him. And I'm pretty sure she told him _everything_ by now."

* * *

A wave of flames ignited along the white crystal walls of ice. As the blades of red grass raged, the black Beyblade, Black Dranzer Apocalypse, flew from it unscathed. Kai cried out as his Dranzer Eternal counterattacked in a head-on collision. Fox shrugged it off, cueing her blade to strike Dranzer E back with little effort. "What?" Kai gasped. Suddenly, the dark blade flared up in deep black flames, preparing for an attack. It leapt from the surface and darted down at the sapphire blade. Kai quickly reacted and leapt to his right to dodge the intense wave of dark flames Black Dranzer made upon impact to the ground! The massive fields of darkness streaked across the vast wasteland, breaking apart all that was in the way, including a tall icy mountain in the distance. Upon impact, the mountain completely shattered into giant boulders! Kai witnessed this incredible spectacle and said, "What power! Black Dranzer is definitely a lot more powerful than when _I_ used it!" Suddenly, Kai was pulled away from his thoughts when the dark sparrow, Kurozaku, came soaring down at him! He quickly got back on his feet and leapt upward to dodge another insane wave of fiery power. While in midair, Suzaku the Red Phoenix appeared in physical form and caught his partner in the skies. Fox watched her opponent fly freely above her and turned back down to the surface. She observed that their battleground was being to feel the effects of their flame-dominant assaults. The snow began to dissolve all around her and the cool grounds began to break into a giant pool of ice water. "It appears it's dangerous to continue on the ground." With that, Black Dranzer's rotation wildly sped up, and it leapt high into the skies in the form of the giant Kurozaku. Fox leapt up after him and landed over his back as he shrieked violently past the deep clouds. With that, the two phoenixes danced along with each other in perfect flight before continuing their battle high in the skies. 

As Suzaku circled around with a brilliant cry, Dranzer E shone like a shimmering star as it struck Black Dranzer A hard in mid-flight, significantly dealing a clean blow over it. Fox cried as she held out her magical left hand towards the clashing blades. Suddenly, a white field surrounded her respective Beyblade, easily reflecting itself from Dranzer E and canceling out its attack. The two Beyblades spun rapidly to create a visible aura of wind below themselves to keep them afloat. Next, they each ignited into pure crimson spheres of fire. Then, they both went on the attack, clashing against each other while sparks of fire flew from them. On the ground below, the sparks each exploded into several red towers of energy once they rained over it. As the Beyblades continued in well placed strikes from all sides, Kai clenched his teeth, visibly mesmerized by Fox's mastery of this dark Beyblade. "I have to say, I'm impressed," he thought. "She can tap into Black Dranzer's monstrous power without any effort, especially since its power is heightened so drastically."

"You haven't been able to discover what Black Dranzer was truly capable of when you had it," Fox said. "That's because you used it for your ridiculous lust for perfection. I treat Kurozaku as well as I treat Vyx: a partner… and valuable friend."

"Don't give me that crap!" Kai hissed. "I don't believe… I _won't_ believe what you say is true!"

"And why can't you?"

"For as long as I remember, I was alone. I had no one but my grandfather. But, now that he's serving his time, no one else was around for me. I had to fend for myself. So… if you were _really_ my sister, where were you!"

Fox, or rather Kitsune, shut her eyes passively, her arms noticeably shaking anxiously. "Father got himself involved with damnable company, so much that I couldn't leave him alone. After I had learned what had happened to you after your first victorious tournament, I wanted so much to track you down. There was so much that Grandfather neglected to tell you what you deserved to know. And our family would be close in being whole for a long time."

"And Mother?" Kai asked. "Was Grandfather telling me that she died from an illness a lie?"

"A cold, pitiful lie. She died trying to put a stop to Grandfather _and_ Father's ambition… in **creating the ultimate Holy Beast**."

"The ultimate Holy Beast?"

"Grandfather covered up Mother's death by claiming that Father was responsible while _he_ tried to stop him. So, Father was branded a runaway murderer, so you weren't able to stay with him. Also, Grandfather also manipulated Father into running away with me during his mad rage over Mother's death. He promised him that you, a one-year-old boy, would be in good hands, so he left you behind underneath the false hope that you could live an innocent life outside his bloodstained hands. So, in other words, Grandfather wanted his own son out of the picture _and_ to raise you into an easily converted weapon of destruction in BIOVOLT."

"Is… that right?"

Kai bowed down his head, clenching his fists in self-contained rage. His ruby pupils began to flare up in reply to the truth Kitsune presented him. "Damn Grandfather… no, Souichirou," he thought. "Even when he's out of my life, he still torments me. He ruined everything… **everything**!"

"Unforgivable," Kai whispered out-loud.

Kitsune lifted her head in response to something catching her attention. She noticed that Suzaku was beginning to glow a shimmering golden aura. His eyes hidden underneath his bangs, Kai's entire person began to shine as well in an intense sun-colored radiance. Suddenly, Kai beamed his piercing eyes wildly at Kitsune and roared, "UNFORGIVABLE!" In reaction to his great yell, golden waves came rushing out from his own body, as well as from the crying Suzaku! Kitsune guarded herself from the shining beams of light as Kurozaku fluttered backward frantically. "This power… He's reached '**hyper mode**.'"

Dranzer Eternal exploded into a bush of wild fire, reacting to Kai's crimson aura that roared around his very person. "**_Hissatsu-Ougi! Eternal Incandescence!_**" The magnificent battle aura suddenly expanded into an enormous cylinder of blazing fire as the Red Phoenix of Fire, Suzaku, shrieked behind him.

Kai's great wave of fiery power flew at Kitsune and Kurozaku, engulfing them in its undying, burning rage…

* * *

"That's not good," Daichi gulped. 

Deep in a cold, steel hallway, Takao, Boss, and company stood by, confronted by a platoon of several armed BeySoldiers, their rifles aimed right at them silently. "Give me a break!" Takao hissed. "Get out of my way!"

"You think they'll listen to you?" Hiromi murmured.

"Then, I'll _make_ them listen!"

With that, Takao aimed his launcher at the soldiers with Master Dragoon already locked on. Without hesitation, the soldiers all pulled their triggers, and hundreds of generic, gray Beyblades were fired at the kids! "GO! SHOOT!" Takao cried, releasing his blade.

"GAIA DRAGOON!" Daichi shouted.

"DREAMER!" Hiromi joined in.

All three of their respective blades flew into the storm of Beyblades and ripped right on through, shattering a good many on impact. "Hey, wait for us!" Boss exclaimed. "GO! SHOOT! ABSOLUTE KERBEROUS!"

"SYLPH!" Reena cried.

"**DAWNKENTAURUS**!" Nanami replied.

Three of the Saint Generations' blades treaded the metallic surface and spun around together to create a tornado-like force around them, easily ripping through the giant wave of Beyblades. The sheer power all six kids exuded bypassed the blades and struck all the BeySoldiers hard! Crying out in pain, every single one of them were thrown off their feet and laid on the floor, unconscious.

The threat over, everyone, including the Great Chairman and Kyouju, continued on deeper in the keep. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Reena wondered.

"How should I know?" Boss scowled. "We haven't been here before! We just have to find the white dragon before it's too late!"

"For once, we agree on something!" Takao replied. "We just have to keep going, that's all!"

Hiromi frowned, "They're sounding _too much_ alike."

"Yes, they do," Nanami giggled to herself.

"Oh no!" the Great Chairman gasped.

Soon, everyone had stopped running and found themselves standing each yet _another_ platoon of BeySoldiers! Daichi moaned, "Aw man! How many of you are there!"

"Argh! It doesn't matter!" Takao growled. "Let's just waste them and keep moving!"

As Takao held his launcher once more, Hiromi observed him with a suspicious stare. "But, _that's_… completely different…"

Meanwhile, back in the basement, Rei was sitting meditatively next to the steel door. His concentration solely focused onto his body, a faint aura of energy shone around him. A voice called to him, "_Rei_, _will you continue?_"

"How could I?" Rei thought. "After what I did?"

"_Give up, and everything would be for nothing. Remember the reason you decided to take this mission."_

"I did it to help. I did it for Master and my friends. I did it… for **you**."

Rei faintly opened his sun-colored eyes, burning with renewed resolve. "I did all this for _you_, Byakko." The youth stood up and tightened his fists, his aura glowing brighter and more intensely.

From the other side of the basement door, light beamed from the barred window. A soldier standing guard ran to the door, just in time for the door to be thrown from its hinges and into the unexpected man! Rei casually marched out the room and cracked his knuckles with a determined gleam in his cat eyes. "I'm coming for you, Byakko. I won't let them use you or any other Holy Beast for their ambitions." With that state of mind set, Rei quickly ran off and ascended the stairs to the Steel Keep's main floor.

Back on the main walkway, Takao and the others continued running on, leaving the hundreds of soldiers they defeated amongst the rubble of shattered Beyblades. "Are we there yet!" Daichi groaned.

"According to my statistics," Kyouju replied while observing his laptop, "we're approaching a large, unstable power source. It's similar to my stats on Shiroryuu."

"Then, we're almost there! I see a door just ahead!" Reena exclaimed.

Sure enough, a large steel door resembling the hallway's walls was just ahead with a switch right next to it. "Not too long now!" Takao grinned. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise blared from Kyouju's laptop. "Huh? There's something coming fast behind us!"

"What?" Boss gasped, looking over his shoulder.

Just then, a large, dark, and fiery ball of energy quickly soared down the hallway and right at them! Everyone saw it coming, but none could move around this enormous black fireball. All was consumed in this wave of power before it crashed into the door, completely destroying it upon impact!

After a giant cloud of debris washed over the next large room, the broken remains of the steel door lain in waste over the floor while Takao and company were barely scattered along the ruins, stunned from this sudden attack. Takao rose to his feet and shook his head. "What _was_ that?" Boss and the others soon followed and rejoined Takao while they all regained their bearings. The Great Chairman turned toward the dilapidated walkway, his eyes widening in shock at what he saw next. "Oh my…! It's you!" Everyone noticed the same ball of dark energy standing in one spot before them, now resembling an ecstatic aura of lightning around a silhouetted figure within it. As soon as it dissipated, they were face-to-face with a familiar man with a long grayish white mane wearing an equally long dark yellow cloak over his dark clothing that sported the old BIOVOLT insignia on his chest. Boss gasped, "**Professor Hiwatari?**"

"_That's_ **Hiwatari Daigo**?" Takao exclaimed.

"Kai's father?" Kyouju added.

"Daigo… it's been so long," the Great Chairman murmured, keeping from hyperventilating.

The mysterious man, Daigo, gave no reply to their words. He only stared coldly with Kai's steely, ruby eyes, eyes that appeared to be tainted. The Great Chairman tried to approach him. "Daigo? Don't you remember me?" Suddenly, the man pulled his arms from underneath his cloak and leapt up in the air with a Grip Shooter of his own and a deep orange Beyblade with two towering edges along the attack ring and the blade base. He was going to attack them!

With a warped backdrop in his deep, self-reserved tone of voice, Daigo shouted. "**_Go, Ancient Dranzer!_**" His Beyblade was fired and quickly soared right at the bewildered Great Chairman! Boss quickly leapt in front of him and released his Absolute Kerberous to counter the assault. After they clashed in mid-flight, they landed on the ground and circled around each other, making brief clashes one after another whenever the opportunity showed itself. Ancient Dranzer came at the black Beyblade in a flash and inflicted strong smash attacks over it, easily breaking off a few pieces of his attack ring upon impact! A force of wind cut past Boss' left cheek while he roared to transmit his power to his blade, enabling his Absolute Kerberous to grind the fiery blade backwards before sending it up in the air. "Professor!" Boss cried. "Did you let yourself become a slave?" Daigo chuckled maniacally as he landed over a nearby steel platform. Ancient Dranzer soared in the air, releasing a wave of crimson feather-like arrows like rain. Absolute Kerberous danced around the storm of feathers until it found a hole within the attack it could jump through. "Roar, Absolute Kerberous!" Boss shouted. A black aura burst from the black Beyblade as it flew up at the flying Ancient Dranzer, striking it hard enough to break it into pieces! "He got him!" Daichi cheered.

"I don't know," Reena murmured skeptically.

After his blade landed back on the ground, Boss looked up and was shocked to find the blade he just shattered was just a feather ripped apart! "Cerberus!" In physical form, the large three-headed dog turned around and found a giant, blood red phoenix with four wings and a long white mane flying at him from behind! The powerful sparrow tackled Cerberus hard and sent him crashing into a large piece of the broken door, knocking him out. His respective Beyblade was thrown to his side, defeated and partially broken.

Boss knelt down in pain from the sneak attack inflicted on his Holy Beast and his Beyblade. "Damn. I forgot how strong he is."

Cerberus growled wearily, "_We were careless this time_."

Daigo chuckled maliciously while his massive and intimidating Holy Beast flew to his side. "Boss lost so easily to him," Hiromi murmured in disbelief.

"There's no way I'm ready for someone like that," Daichi gulped.

Takao scoffed, "Keh! Give me a break!"

Recklessly, Takao launched Master Dragoon at Ancient Dranzer in an attempt to strike. Daigo saw it coming and only scoffed in reply. Master Dragoon was closing in, but Ancient Dranzer wasn't going to dodge it. Inconceivably, Takao's substitute blade shattered upon impact over the powerful Beyblade! "No way!" Takao gasped.

"Professor's power has definitely been heightened since the last time we saw him," Reena observed.

"Almost to the point that it's ridiculous," Nanami added.

"They're not kidding!" Kyouju shrieked as he observed the stats he acquired on Daigo and his blade in his laptop. "His power readings are off the scale, way more than Kai and Fox put together!"

"You're being manipulated, Daigo!" the Great Chairman cried. "Please, come to your senses!"

Daigo still resisted in replying and only laughed madly while his red phoenix shrieked behind him, their dominance thoroughly expressed.

* * *

Back outside the Steel Keep, an enormous cylinder of intertwined elements ascended the air until it reached the same height as the keep. In the eye of this incredible storm of water and fire, Draciel Endless and Red Salamander Atlas grinded hard against one another as they both hovered in the middle of the storm. Alex flew amongst the flames scorching throughout the limited space, wielding the burning element in the palm of his hands with a wide smirk over his face. Facing him, an aquamarine field of power encased the confident Max to guard against the incoming arrows of flame. Red Salamander ran at all sides against Draciel, but the green blade resisted from budging an inch. Alex roared and waved his arms to direct the flames to consume him and his blazing Beyblade. The streaks of fire danced and encircled Draciel E like a snake and drilled right over the blade, miraculously pushing it down to the surface below! The weight of the power thrust against Max's face, briefly stunning him. But, he quickly recovered, stubbornly letting the force wash over him as his eyes glowed in a deep emerald color! 

Max threw himself backward over a raging blue ocean. After he retracted his arms and legs to his upper body, geysers of water shot from the ocean and twirled around his person. With Genbu roaring behind him, Max threw his arms and legs outward and cried, "_**Endless Reflect**!_" The water from the geysers came together at one point and surrounded Max to form a large blue bubble shield. Finally, it expanded outwards to grow even bigger!

Max's aquatic shield suddenly expanded outward, catching Alex and his blade to cancel out their attack. As much as he tried to break through, the waves of water swallowed him. The cylinder of raging power finally dispersed as the water began to overwhelm the flames. Amongst falling beads of liquid, Max dramatically flew to the ground, a triumphant smile slowly forming across his lips.

Max and Draciel landed on the ground while it briefly rained around him. In front of him, Red Salamander still continued to spin. It had also split into two blades just like before, and Alex stood behind them, panting wearily and missing his hat. "INCREDIBLE," he sighed in his English tongue. "If I hadn't decided to split my blade in two in the last second, that would've been it."

"It's not like last time!" Max declared. "This time, I'm ready for your tricks!"

Alex chuckled in reply as he lifted up his head. Once he did, his bright, piercing green eyes beamed from underneath his red bangs as he laughed, "Really?" Suddenly, his body combusted into a massive bush of flames, as well as his twin blades! Before Max could react, the twin Red Salamander Beyblades dashed forward in erratic movements. "Whoa!" Max gasped. The crimson Beyblades danced around Draciel E in random directions, waves of flames surrounding it. Perspiring, Max frantically looked around, "Where…?"

In an instant, a great force struck Max across his face as one of the Red Salamanders struck Draciel E at the side! As the blades continued dancing in the fire, the other blade clashed Draciel right on, striking Max himself in the gut. Soon enough, Draciel E suffered underneath the hailstorm of crimson Beyblades, pelting it from all sides with magnificent grace, blinding speed, and ferocious power. Max cried as his body was thrown about from each blow his blade took, whether it struck him from behind his head, over his arms, at his sides, in his gut, or across his cheek. With his blazing aura roaring around him, Alex himself flew at his adversary right before Max could recover from the last blow he took. Both Red Salamanders emerged the fiery illusion and smashed Draciel E hard together. In reply, Red the Warrior Salamander tackled the stunned and bewildered Genbu, throwing him off his feet and knocking the air out of him. Max gasped out as well as he was pushed back by an awesome comet of power, throwing him and his blade in the air while Alex stood his ground, his assault complete. "**_Hissatsu-Ougi! Atlas Salamander!"_**

As he calmed down after his attack, Alex's aura died down, and he took a moment to catch his breath. Then, he looked up and gasped once he saw Max somersaulting in midair to recover! Genbu landed hard over his feet, roaring to the skies. Draciel Endless soon fell upon the ground, barely spinning, and Max followed, his eyes still glowing in that same color full of active life. Without hesitation, Max cried out, "**_Hi-Ougi! (Secret Attack!) Endless Attack!_**" Once his blade flew to the palm of his hand, Max pulled his right arm back as a wave of aquatic energy was drawn to it. After one spin around, the blue stream danced around Max before he threw it out with Draciel E in the lead. Draciel clashed against both the Red Salamanders, its adrenalized wave of power pushing them back! Waves of water washed against and below Alex's waist once again, threatening to shove him backward as well. "He had this much power left?"

"I told you before!" Max declared. "My Beyblade… has endless defense!"

Two blue spheres generated within a dark space, and two hands each grasped one as hot steam was evaporating from them. As the dark space brightened into a clear sky, Max spun around once with both spheres of water in each hand and gently pressed them together to form one large drop of water. Once it fell to the ground, it burst into ascending rings of water, surrounding Max and glittering with sapphire stars. The boy's eye gleamed with focus and confidence as he raised his arms over his head and threw them to his side, disrupting the rings around him to create a massive tsunami behind him! "**_Hissatsu-Ougi! Endless Wave!_**" Max disappeared behind the blue wall, and Draciel Endless flew into it as well. In turn, the wave splashed outward while Genbu the Black Turtle swam within it with a great battle cry!

The rushing water washed over Red Salamander Atlas; and finally, Draciel E struck it hard with all its might! Sapphire light beamed over Alex as he settled down, shut his eyes, and sighed in defeat…

* * *

Back inside the lab room, Takao clenched his fists as he stared past Daigo and to the captive Shiroryuu. "If I only had _you_…!" 

Daigo laughed derisively, "Now, to finish…"

But, before Daigo proceeded to do anything else, beams of light shone from the wall nearby. Suddenly, the wall exploded and a gigantic force of water came rushing into the laboratory! Daichi and the others gasped at the display of power and watched as the debris cleared. Soon enough, Alex was found on the ground, both his Beyblades dead and charred beside him. He chuckled weakly, "I guess… we messed up this time. Good thing… Kitsune didn't see."

"Alex!" Reena cried.

"That means…!" Daichi added.

Emerging from outside, Max staggered into the room, kneeling down in exhaustion. Then, right beside him, Draciel Endless continued to spin before it finally stopped, completely burnt out and shattered from its battle. Max panted hard with a half-hearted grin, "We… won… Genbu."

"Max!" his teammates cried.

While Hiromi, Kyouju, Reena, and Nanami quickly reacted and ran to their respective teammates, Daigo turned to them with a cold stare. "The Black Turtle," he sneered. Immediately, Ancient Dranzer dashed past the kids and came after the stunned Max! "Max, look out!" Daichi cried out. Max saw it coming, but he couldn't stand up much less move away from his incoming attacker. Suddenly, a familiar black Beyblade flew past him and clashed against Ancient Dranzer, shoving it back! It was Black Dranzer!

Following the black Beyblade, Kitsune appeared and ran past Max to challenge Daigo. "Father!" she cried. "_I'll_ be your opponent!" While she kept Daigo busy, everyone came to the battle-weary Max and Alex and helped them stand back up. "What were you two doing?" Kyouju asked.

"Don't tell me you were fighting Alex!" Hiromi scolded. "We could've used your help, you know!"

"SORRY," Max chuckled.

"So, _this_ is what's been going on," another voice said.

Everyone looked to find Kai rejoining his teammates. "Kai! I swear, you're all unbelievable!" Hiromi groaned. "Weren't we supposed to be a team?"

"Now, now, Hiromi," Kyouju replied. "Oh! Kai, your blade…!"

Kai responded and held up his Dranzer Eternal to his team, the blade completely charred and black as coal. "Even with all my power, even with all my rage, I… couldn't beat her." The youth turned his attention to the clashing sounds of both Ancient Dranzer and Black Dranzer fighting on an equal playing field. His sight was locked onto the man Kitsune was fighting. He had laid eyes on his father for the first time.

Boss rose to his feet with Cerberus behind him, his recovery steadily building. "This is getting too complicated," he sighed.

"Banken, that other kid…" Cerberus quietly growled.

The colored youth then turned his attention to Takao sprinting towards the caged Shiroryuu. "Like I said," he hissed, clenching his teeth. "Kinomiya! Come back!"

Already a few inches away from the capsule, Takao ran to Shiroryuu with a relieved glare in his eyes. "Finally." But, someone suddenly leapt in his way. It was Rei! "Rei!" Takao gasped. "So, it's you, traitor!"

"Wait, Takao," Rei protested, holding his arms out to guard the white dragon. "What are you going to do once you get Dragoon Eclipse back?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna waste that our opponents around this dump and Boss as well!"

"That's the problem. I know what I did is wrong, but _this_ is exactly what I wanted to prevent! Takao, you're obsessed with Shiroryuu's power!"

"What are you talking about?"

The Infinitia Revolutions E and the Saint Generations A were both attentive to Rei's outburst that would explain everything. "Shiroryuu's power is so great that he can't hold it all by himself, so he transmits a bit of his power into his user. And it's that power that has the potential to corrupt the user, seducing him into entering more battles. This power also makes it so that the user shall never tire or weaken. That's why you were at top condition _seconds_ after our last battle."

Hiromi gasped, "And that other time, too!"

"That's right!" Kyouju added. "After his battle with Boss and when he first received Shiroryuu!"

"Hmph. Is that so bad?" Takao scoffed.

"The more battles Shiroryuu gets into, the stronger he'll become," Rei continued. "In turn, more power is transmitted into you, and the power will steadily warp your mind without you knowing it! Finally, at a critical moment, you'll go insane with power and lust for battle! That's why I tried to steal Dragoon Eclipse! **The white dragon will destroy the world through you! You will bring Hell to our entire planet!**"

This revelation quickly shocked the entire Infinitia Revolutions team and the Great Chairman. But, Boss and the Saint Generations A team kept silent; they knew the whole time. Hiromi stammered, "It, it, it can't be."

"It's true," Nanami replied quietly. "It will be just like before. Just like Cross Dragoon."

"You knew this all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell us?"

"We didn't know how to say it, never mind the fact that you probably wouldn't believe us. And on top of that, Boss doesn't want anyone to know… that the white dragon nearly destroyed the world… through **his own brother**."

Boss took one step forward and clenched his fists, visibly shaking. "Please, Kinomiya!" he cried. "Give up your Holy Beast! It's for the world!" Takao didn't reply. He didn't seem to respond to anything Rei had just said, which had him worried. "Takao?" A faint sound suddenly came from him. It was similar to… a laugh. Gradually, laughter grew louder while a sly grin crept over Takao's mouth. Then, he threw his head up to the ceiling, releasing a loud, wholehearted burst of laughter. Rei was bewildered and confused as he stared at him. Then, his heart jumped once Takao declared, "What do _I_ care?"

"What?"

Suddenly, the steel walls around the capsule behind Rei began to form cracks before it completely shattered, freeing Shiroryuu! Takao grinned upward at his dragon with those familiar, cold sapphire eyes. "Shiroryuu," he sighed.

The dragon growled tenaciously, his eyes glowing in a demonic red color, "_Let's fight together… always_."

"Yes!"

With that, Takao held his hand down below Shiroryuu and inconceivably summoned Dragoon Eclipse out from its cage and back into his palm! He proceeded to lock it into his launcher and aimed it at the dueling Black Dranzer and Ancient Dranzer. "GO… SHOOT!" Takao roared. With immense, static power, the crazed youth released Dragoon Eclipse and directed it to crash into the two Beyblades. Upon impact, a great flash emitted and consumed the distracted Kitsune and Daigo, knocking them both out along with their respective blades! Kai gasped, "This power!"

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen before!" Kyouju observed frantically. "And this is coming from _Takao_!"

"Takao! Stop! Snap out of it now!" Hiromi cried.

Takao turned around with an evil stare, a stare directed towards the still-captive Byakko! Without any direction, Shiroryuu flew to the capsule and pulled his claws through the capsule, breaking it without any effort. The dragon hissed with a sly intention enough to shake the nerves of the white tiger. Before he could react, Byakko was ensnared in Shiroryuu's long tail by his neck. Then, after the dragon's eyes glowed upon him, Byakko suddenly disappeared and broke down into thousands of starry particles, particles that gradually flew inside his chest. Shiroryuu had absorbed Byakko!

"Byakko!"

Rei lost nearly all his bodily functions as he watched his Holy Beast disappear before his eyes. Everyone was left speechless after Takao's cruel actions. Hiromi shook her head in protest, her eyes starting to water up. "No… no…" The insane youth lost his hat in his excitement as he turned back around to the other kids, specifically both the weakened Kai and Max. "Just you two," Takao chuckled.

Kai gulped, "Our Sacred Spirits! He's after Suzaku and Genbu!"

"Our blades are totaled!" Max added. "We can't defend ourselves!"

Takao took one step forward with a derisive smile and pointed towards his two targets. Then, Dragoon Eclipse flew past him and went after the frightened Genbu and Suzaku. "Gaia Dragoon!" Daichi cried, shooting his Beyblade.

"Sylph!" Reena joined him.

"DawnKentaurus!" Nanami added.

The three Beyblades flew at Dragoon as the last defense. But, once they all touched the blade, they were all thrown away without any effort! "No way!" Daichi cried. "It's too much power! I… can't compete with this!" Suddenly, the three-headed demon dog leapt after Shiroryuu, clasping his three sets of fangs in his neck. But, being that the dragon didn't cry out, he didn't feel anything at all. He only stopped in his charge and stared down at the desperate Cerberus. Then, he threw one quick swipe of his claw and slashed Cerberus, sending him flying away and crashing hard into the ground. "Cerberus!" Boss cried. "Dammit. I knew I couldn't believe… that Kinomiya would overcome this."

"Kinomiya!" Kai cried. "Are you going to let yourself go out of control like this? I never thought you were this weak!"

"Takao, listen to us!" Max joined in. "You don't wanna do this! You gotta wake up!"

"It's too late!" Takao shot back, his voice warping like Daigo's was before. "The Takao you knew is _dead_!"

The force behind Takao's powerful voice threw Kai and Max away amongst the rubble near them. Suzaku and Genbu responded and quickly guarded their partners from the intimidating Shiroryuu. The dragon laughed bitterly, "_You would guard them… when you know you'll become a part of me?_" The two beasts didn't respond, but the stare they both had told the dragon that their minds were made up. "_So be it_." With that, he lifted his arms and quickly grabbed each Holy Beast by their heads! And after the dragon's eyes glowed once again, they both broke down into particles and were absorbed into his body. Kai continued to stand like a statue while Max fell to his knees, both in utter shock. "Genbu," Max shuddered.

"Suzaku," Kai quivered. "I failed you… again."

Shiroryuu roared loudly as his body began to burst with intense power from the Holy Beasts he absorbed. The power blazed from Takao's body as well, visibly hurting him. The boy wailed as his shirt ripped away from his body. Suddenly, several black stripes and markings appeared all over his bare body and his face. His teeth began to grow out to become fangs. And giant white wings bulged out from his back. His once normal voice was drowned out by vibrating savage cries. The dragon continued to roar out in burning pain. "It's… too much," he quietly growled. "I have to throw out… some power." Suddenly, a brilliant shine of light glowed from his belly and a white figure was emerging from it. As it slowly floated to the floor, the light slowly dissipated to reveal a familiar, unconscious figure. It was **Luna**!

At the final stages of the transformation, Shiroryuu roared one last time, his power reaching a critical pinnacle. Takao grew more comfortable with his newfound power and his new, mutated form. "The power… Let the whole world… see my power." Suddenly, both Takao and Shiroryuu threw out the power they had built up in their bodies in the form of an explosion! The field of white energy consumed everything; everything had turned to white…

* * *

…A monitor screen went completely white until the entire computer was shorted out by the intense and destructive power. Captain Blackleo and his fellow subordinates watched everything that took place in the lab. "What awesome power," Mizuno awed. 

"Yes. But now, that kid will run wild with that power," Orochi replied.

"A minor setback."

The five soldiers turned around to discover their leader approaching them. Stepping out from the shadows, the face of a familiar gray-maned man presented an unnerving stare. "**Voltaire**?" Blackleo said.

"Angriff couldn't keep the kids out, and my pathetic son couldn't keep them out the lab," Voltaire sighed. "No matter, the plan will be carried out. Go, retrieve the white dragon from that boy."

"Yes sir!" Angriff replied with a salute. "I will not fail again!"

With that, Blackleo led the other BeySoldiers past Voltaire with a new mission. As they were leaving Voltaire looked up to the broken monitor with a thoughtful stare. "I might have known something like this may happen," he thought, "which is why I had this shelter deeper than the entire Steel Keep. However, at the rate this is going… everything's going according to plan." Then, a sly smirk crept over his lips. Behind him and still by the door, Blackleo, or Shishin, turned back towards his leader with a suspicious glare. And he proceeded to leave the room.

* * *

Underneath the cool, blue skies, there was an enormous crater where the Steel Keep once stood. In the midst of that crater, the demonic Takao stood there, alone and tranquil. Dragoon Eclipse leapt into his hand, and he proceeded to march on in silence. Nearby, there was one person left. Hiromi. She quickly regained consciousness and found him walking away. She stood back on her feet and held her wounded arm as she tried to follow. "Please… stop…" she said weakly. Takao suddenly stopped in his tracks, but he didn't turn around. Hiromi waited for a reply. Then, she heard him say, "For some reason… this body won't let me hurt you. Your life is spared… this time." Hiromi gasped in shock, and Takao expanded his wings and flew off into the sky! "Takao!" she cried. "You're still in there, aren't you! TAKAO!" 

Hiromi refused to give up. She ran. She ran after 'Takao' even though he flew higher and higher in the air, almost to the point that she was losing sight of him. "I knew it," she thought…

…_Underneath the quiet moonlight, Hiromi was sitting silently on the boardwalk, watching her Dreamer Excalibur spinning around the red Beystadium. "So close…" she murmured. As the red blade continued spinning, a familiar silver blade was thrown in and playfully hit its side. Hiromi was briefly startled and looked up to find Takao walking to her. She smiled accusingly and said, "Wise guy." In reply, Dreamer E spun into Dragoon E as payback. As the two blades tailed each other around and around the stadium, the white dragon and the white unicorn both soared into the magnificent stars of the night sky. As the two shooting stars crossed over the dojo deep in romantic space, Takao and Hiromi both stared up to the sky in quiet solitude…_

…Hiromi ran faster and faster as her faith grew stronger. "Takao… and Shiroryuu… you both could never destroy the world." As she ran, the white unicorn galloped to her side, neighing sorrowfully. "Dreamer!" Hiromi quickly received her partner's message and leapt on top of her before she ascended the staircase to the skies. "Takao, wait for me!" she cried as the tears rained from her eyes. She and Dreamer flew higher and higher towards the clouds, in hopes of rescuing Takao… alone…

_**Takao!

* * *

**_

_**NEXT TIME**_

_Blackleo: Rei, you continue to fight. But, you are without your Holy Beast._

_Reena: Daichi, why won't you fight? So what if you discovered powerful warriors? Has that ever stopped you before?_

_Nanami: Hiromi… you love him, don't you? Is that why you throw yourself to your death?_

_Rei: Even without Byakko, I will defeat you, Master!_

_Daichi: For my father… I'll be the best Beyblader around!_

_Hiromi: I have to save Takao…_

**_My Personal Battle_**

_Luna: All of this… because of me…_


	8. My Personal Battle

The sapphire skies were overlapped by the multiple white clouds. The crimson sun shone over the tranquil city of Tokyo, Japan. While the citizens there continued their natural lives, walking amongst each other on the sidewalks and several cars racing down the sleek, black roads. Below Tokyo Tower and all other enormous buildings across the city, the peace of the entire population went undisturbed…

…Gradually, the sky grew to be dark, several rays of lightning sparkling through the thick clouds. Powerful currents of wind blew through the city's streets, effortlessly ripping deep faults across the ground and piercing right through a nearby building that instantly shattered into pieces upon impact! Awesome pressure caused windows to break into thousands of shards, and nearby hydrants exploded into geysers of water. Finally, after the clouds above were blown aside, an enormous, infernal sphere of energy shot like a comet from the sky and crashed along the middle of the city! As a gigantic wave of debris blanketed the air, a certain, winged figure stood in the center of the burning crater left behind. He lifted his head with a venomous glare, looking back and forth as if he was looking for something. After the smoke began to clear, the crazed white dragon roared to the skies. "SOMEONE STRONG!" the maniacal youth roared. "COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!"

"Takao, stop!" a voice cried.

'Takao' didn't respond, but he knew well that Hiromi was riding her white unicorn, Ikkakujuu, down to him.

After Ikkakujuu landed gracefully on the ground, Hiromi leapt off and boldly stood before 'Takao' with a determined stare. 'Takao' gave her a wide and derisive grin in reply. "You again? After I went through the trouble to spare you?"

"I know you're still in there, Takao," Hiromi declared. "I'm not going to let you become a criminal by destroying the city."

"Your words are nothing to me. There's not a thing you can do to stop me."

"I have no intention of trying to reason with you, _especially_ you."

With that, Hiromi held out her Grip Shooter with Dreamer Excalibur already locked in and aimed it at 'Takao.' The boy laughed, "A challenge, huh? Remember, I _did_ try to spare you."

"I don't think I can win this one," Hiromi thought. "But… I have to try to reach him… through the only thing he loves most."

Hiromi tightened her grip and prepared to battle with her Ikkakujuu neighing behind her!

"Here I come… Kinomiya Takao!"

_**Beyblade Lunar Eclipse**_

**_Episode 8: "My Personal Battle_**"

A pair of eyes began to focus, a fragile voice groaning in the background. Soon, a face appeared from above, resembling that of Max. "Hey, you're finally awake," he greeted. While Max watched, a familiar young girl sat up in a comfortable, authentic bed of deep brown cotton. It was the girl that first transformed Seiryuu the Azure Dragon into Shiroryuu, **Luna**.

Luna held her forehead to steadily regain her bearings. "Wh… what happened?"

"A lot's happened," Max replied. "But, it's good that you're okay."

"T… Takao-san?"

"No, I'm Mizuhara Max. Nice to finally meet you, Luna."

"Oh. I feel the Black Turtle's presence from you. You must be the holder of Genbu."

"Oh," Max murmured, bowing down his head. "Well, I _was_ Genbu's partner. But, how can I call myself that when I let Shiroryuu absorb him?"

"Oh!" Luna gasped. "It's all clear now. Something went wrong; this wasn't the power I meant to give Seiryuu-sama."

"No one's blaming you," Max reassured. "But, everyone else is waiting to talk to you."

"O, okay."

With that, Luna took Max's hand and let him lead her outside the room they were in.

Underneath the afternoon sun, the joint Infinitia Revolutions/Saint Generations group was sitting together around a small bush of fire. Alex looked over his shoulder to find Max leading Luna to them. "Oh, good. You're okay," he smiled.

"Where are we?" Luna wondered.

The confused girl looked around to find unfamiliar waterfalls behind several small, straw huts out in the midst of a forest. "We're in Rei's training grounds," Max answered. "In other words, **China**."

"It's… so different from that cold place from before," she said. "How did we get here?"

"It's weird, but Daichi's gold dragon Holy Beast emerged in physical form and saved us from Shiroryuu's attack."

"You mean, **Kouryuu**-sama?"

Nearby, Reena watched Daichi in worry as he was listlessly staring down at the ground in despair. She reluctantly turned away, her expression full of thought and a hint of guilt.

"Is everyone all right here?"

Everyone turned around to find two new youths approaching them. One was a dark-haired boy with a yellow vest and white ribbons tightly wrapped around his arms as gauntlets, and the other was a young girl wearing a light pink Gi along with a bow wrapped atop her deep magenta mane. Rei responded with a half-hearted smile, "Yeah, we're fine here, **Rai**."

"Well, you sure don't look like yourself," the girl pouted.

"Easy, **Mao**," Rai replied. "You heard their story, right? By the way, where's Kai?"

Boss suddenly appeared from another hut and walked toward the others. "He, Kitsune, and the Great Chairman are still in there. The Professor still hasn't woken up." The moment Luna laid eyes on Boss, she jumped and hid behind Max defensively. He stopped and scratched behind his head guiltily. "Heh. I guess she still remembers me. Don't worry; destroying Holy Beasts isn't my top priority right now."

"Just how does _that_ make her feel any better?" Max shot back, clenching his teeth.

"Now, now, everyone!" Kyouju cried frantically. "Now, we all agreed to work together, remember? There's no time to argue."

"So, what do we do?" Alex asked. "Even if we managed to find your friend, with all four Holy Beasts at his disposal, he's practically unstoppable."

"Well, we better think of something soon. The Great Chairman already called **Yuriy** back in Russia to send an express airliner to pick us up tonight."

"Why don't we start on deciphering Takao's current situation to the last detail?" Max suggested.

Kyouju turned back to Boss as he joined the circle and sat down near him. "He's right. I don't think we all have enough information. Could you please tell us _everything_ you know, Boss?"

"Rei had already explained it to you back in Russia," Boss replied, "but there are a few more details to make note of."

"Boss…" Alex called with concern.

"I'm fine," Boss nodded in reassurance. "Now then, listen up. You know that Shiroryuu has so much power that he has to transmit a portion of his power into his user, right? That one portion isn't exactly what corrupted Takao. It's the piece of Shiroryuu's dormant _dark power_ that's responsible."

"Shiroryuu's dark power?" Max repeated. "I thought all our Holy Beasts were pure."

"If that's what you think, you don't understand your own Holy Beast as well as you believed. It's just like _my_ partner, a _Demon Beast_. My Cerberus has natural dark powers, but there's light as well. All our partners, these Sacred Spirits, obey the concept of yin and yang."

"Shiroryuu absorbed our Holy Beasts, Max," Rei said. "He'll without any doubt use their power to turn this world to chaos. While I don't want to believe it, that's more than enough proof when it comes to what they're truly capable of."

"Even so, the dark power shouldn't have created a drastic effect like this," Boss continued. "I happen to believe that Kinomiya has a strong, righteous will. He should've been able to retain his sense of self. However, it would seem that Shiroryuu's yin was abnormally adrenalized."

"What does that mean?" Rei wondered.

"It means that we were tricked from the very beginning."

Then, Boss stood and pointed past the others toward a specific face. Boss directed all attention toward Luna!

Luna gasped in fright and backed away. "M, me? But… but I…" Max quickly came to her defense. "Are you blaming Luna for all this?" he cried. "She had no idea! She gave Takao and Seiryuu that power to save them from _you_!"

"Calm down," Boss replied coolly. "Luna, answer me. Do you remember where you came from?"

Max turned back toward Luna who had a reserved, uncertain look over her face. "I… don't remember. All I remember… was 'Luna.'"

"That's all right. You confirmed my suspicions," Boss hissed, clenching his fist. "Damn Voltaire… he left Luna for Takao to find her on purpose. He _anticipated_ that he take her. That means… that means that she was carrying some sort of _virus_, a virus that could poison whoever she fused with!"

"What!" Max gasped.

"Takao _did_ say she seemed sick when I first met her," Kyouju said.

"So, that was it," Rei growled. "He left her in hopes of her fixating her powers into Seiryuu to recreate the one who will destroy the world, another Cross Dragoon."

"Why on Earth would he do such a thing?" Max wondered.

"That, we don't know for sure," Alex answered. "But, he wants all four of your Holy Beasts; that much is certain."

"Corrupting one and manipulate it into capturing the others sure saved a lot of time and effort," Reena added. "That coward."

"So, now that we know this much, what can we do to set this right?" Rai asked.

"Hiromi must've chased after Takao on her own," Kyouju said. "But, there's no _way_ she can hope to beat him alone!"

"Nanami wasn't around when we regain consciousness, either," Boss replied. "Hopefully, she's with her. All we can do now is wait for the airliner to arrive. Then, when we find them, we'll do whatever it takes to stop Kinomiya… no, Shiroryuu."

All of a sudden, Daichi stood up on his feet, clenching his teeth anxiously…

…_Takao held his hand down below Shiroryuu and inconceivably summoned Dragoon Eclipse out from its cage and back into his palm! He proceeded to lock it into his launcher and aimed it at the dueling Black Dranzer and Ancient Dranzer. With immense, static power, the crazed youth released Dragoon Eclipse and directed it to crash into the two Beyblades. Upon impact, a great flash emitted and consumed the distracted Kitsune and Daigo, knocking them both out along with their respective blades!_

…_Shiroryuu flew to the capsule and pulled his claws through the capsule, breaking it without any effort. The dragon hissed with a sly intention enough to shake the nerves of the white tiger. Before he could react, Byakko was ensnared in Shiroryuu's long tail by his neck. Then, after the dragon's eyes glowed upon him, Byakko suddenly disappeared and broke down into thousands of starry particles, particles that gradually flew inside his chest…_

…_Suddenly, the three-headed demon dog leapt after Shiroryuu, clasping his three sets of fangs in his neck. But, being that the dragon didn't cry out, he didn't feel anything at all. He only stopped in his charge and stared down at the desperate Cerberus. Then, he threw one quick swipe of his claw and slashed Cerberus, sending him flying away and crashing hard into the ground…_

…_Suzaku and Genbu responded and quickly guarded their partners from the intimidating Shiroryuu. With that, he lifted his arms and quickly grabbed each Holy Beast by their heads! And after the dragon's eyes glowed once again, they both broke down into particles and were absorbed into his body…_

Suddenly, Daichi turned around and sprinted away without any word! "Daichi, where are you going!" Max cried.

"Daichi!" Reena called.

But, Daichi didn't reply and continued running through the nearby bushes until he's out of sight. Reena stood up and said to the others. "I'll bring him back."

Boss nodded, "Go ahead."

Permission granted to her, Reena quickly chased after the distraught Daichi. Alex said to Boss, "You think that's a good idea to let her see him?"

"Yeah. It's about time they settled things between them."

Still inside one of the straw huts, Daigo slept soundlessly on the bed provided to everyone while both Kai and Kitsune watched over him in silence. Kai rested his back on the straw walls while he looked over Kitsune lying on top of Daigo, fast asleep. He wore a thoughtful, solemn expression as he watched them rest. "I survived this long without them," he thought. "Why would I want to accept them _now_?"

**1111**

Hiromi and 'Takao' cried out as their respective blades dashed at one another. The two blades clashed and grinded against other. The overwhelming power from Dragoon Eclipse slightly shoved Dreamer Excalibur away, but the magenta-colored Beyblade managed to absorb the attack and circled around to strike back. While Dragoon E slid backward, Dreamer E kept on the attack with multiple blows from left and right. Then, after one strike dead center of the blade, the wave of the attack blew past 'Takao,' ever slightly pushing him back. The boy only grinned in reply and sent his Beyblade to attack again. Dreamer E stood still and let the blade clash with it to absorb its attack. Suddenly, a light green blade-like energy struck past the blade and Hiromi's shoulder, stunning them both! The girl clenched her teeth as she rose back up, her hand briefly paralyzed by that green energy. Tightening her hand into a fist to gain control, Dreamer flew past her and came after Dragoon, only for it and 'Takao' to leap right them. After they landed on top of a building fragment from the damaged part of town, 'Takao' turned around once he spotted Hiromi flying at him fast to deliver a swift right hook! Dreamer struck Dragoon hard and sent it plummeting to the ground. 'Takao' somersaulted just in time to land on his feet, but Hiromi was relentless in her assault, leaping from one building fragment to another.

In a massive, magenta-colored space of nothing but stars, Hiromi calmly waved her arms from her chest to her sides, throwing several feathers before her. They flew outward until they blanketed over her, and once they dissipated, the winged unicorn, Ikkakujuu, neighed wondrously as her golden horn glowed brilliantly with the energy it had gathered. She galloped through the pink skies in the form of the red blade, Dreamer Excalibur…

Dreamer E's attack clashed with Dragoon E, but the white blade had summoned a violet-colored aura that guarded against the attack! Then, that blade-like energy struck past Dreamer and Hiromi, stunning them once again. Dragoon E pounded away on Hiromi's blade, hitting it hard into the broken stone walls nearby. Dreamer recovered and dashed away for Dragoon to miss it completely. Hiromi grabbed 'Takao' by his shoulders and threw him hard against the ground, leaping off him by using her legs to bounce off his chest while making his whole body bounce off the floor simultaneously! But, 'Takao' quickly recovered and used his wings to fly off around an entire building. Then, he came back in the form of the roaring Shiroryuu and came at the stationary Ikkakujuu at full-force. Dragoon E clashed over the top of Hiromi's blade, the weight of its power washing over it. Several green blades of energy slashed past Dreamer and Hiromi, but the both of them stood to withstand it. Hiromi cried out to summon her power unto her blade, steadily causing it to eventually push it back. Then, after she delivered one clean smash attack, Dragoon was sent high in the air along with 'Takao.' Hiromi leapt up after him, grabbing him by his left leg. Dreamer E drilled down onto Dragoon E, sending it plummeting fast to the ground. Sure enough, 'Takao' crashed hard into the large slabs of building shards along the ground, sending up debris upon impact. Hiromi and Dreamer E landed soon after, resting from their counterattack.

Almost immediately, 'Takao' emerged from the thick, grey clouds as Dragoon E continued to spin without any sign of fatigue. His wings fluttered violently to blow the debris away as he grinned maniacally at Hiromi with vile intent. "Not bad. Now, for a different approach…" Hiromi clenched her teeth as she got ready to confront the evil youth once again.

**1111**

Daichi stood atop a small ledge over a small lake in solitude. With his Gaia Dragoon E in hand, he stared down at it solemnly. "I couldn't do it… Father."

"What are you doing, moping like this?"

Daichi raised his head and looked over his shoulder to find Reena behind him with her hands at her side. "I just…" he tried to say.

"No, I don't want to hear it!" Reena cried. "This isn't like you at all!"

"'Like me?' What do you mean by _that_?" Daichi asked, turning around to face Reena.

Reena's fists trembled while she tightly shut her eyes. "You were impulsive, so forward, never holding back your feelings. You never let anyone push you around, and that made you so strong in Beyblading… no, it made you strong in everything you do. At least, that's what I think." Daichi didn't respond, but his eyes remained focused on her. "You were Beyblading as hard as you could for your father's sake, right?"

"Y, yeah," Daichi reluctantly replied.

"Why would you want to give up on that now? Why would stop fighting just when you could confront the one responsible for your father's death?"

That alone brought life in Daichi's expression. "What?"

"We promised we would duel to settle things, didn't we?"

"…_**I may know exactly how your father died**."_

_Daichi was thrown from his complacent composure and stared at Reena in complete disbelief. "Wh… what did you say?"_

"_That's why I joined my old team again… because I knew I would run into you. It has to be this way… so the both of us can finally settle things in the one way we know how."_

"_Reena…"_

"_Just us two… and no one else… can you promise me that?"_

_Daichi managed to calm down a little and stand upright with tightened fists. "It's a duel. Just us two… and no one else." Reena nodded and reluctantly marched on past the rock-steady boy without another word…_

Daichi took one step toward Reena, visibly curious as to what she was getting at. "What do you mean, you're responsible? Wasn't Father… just sickly?"

Reena opened her eyes. "The Sumeragi family owned a good portion of land back home. My father was jealous… so jealous that he used any means to get it. So, when your father got a simple flu that medicine could cure, my father… **gave him opium**."

"What!" Daichi gasped with astonishment.

"That's right. My father drugged yours. But, the villagers eventually found out about it and chased him out the village. But… it was too late to treat your father."

"That can't be! Wh, why wasn't I told about this!"

"I begged the elder not to tell you… because I was afraid that you might hate me. Even so, almost the whole village knows about it. While the elder excused me for my father's crime and let me stay in the village, many people still felt resentment toward me because of my father."

"So, _that's_ why everyone gave you such a hard time. Even all the other kids…"

"I didn't mind it… as long as I had you as a friend… even though I don't deserve it. I feel responsible for what happened between our families; I still feel that I should've done something. That's when I decided when I followed you out the village that day you was given that Beyblade."

"You were following me that whole time?"

"After seeing your team and my old team as rival teams, I rejoined the Saint Generations A for the chance to fight you. I felt that it was the only way for me to repent for my father's crime, as well as my own. I would tell you the truth and challenge you to a Beybattle, a battle I hoped you would win. Defeating me… would allow me to finally repent."

With that, Reena wielded her enormous axe and held it toward the bewildered Daichi. "You can't break our promise! Not now! We must settle this now or we'll be slaves to the past forever! Wake up, Daichi! Don't lose sight of your dream!" Daichi stood there, momentarily paralyzed by the truth and her challenge. But, in time, he slowly tightened his right fist as he murmured to himself. "My dream…"

**1111**

Dranzer Eternal and Draciel Endless appeared to be restored to top condition as they rested in their respective bladers' palms. "This is the best I can do for you, Kai, Max," Kyouju said. "I don't have enough parts to restore your blades to 100."

"We'll take what you can give, Kyouju," Max nodded. "I'll always give it my best shot, whether Genbu's with me or not."

Rei quietly sighed as he stared down at his Driger Edge or rather its blank Bit Chip where Byakko's picture once appeared. Mao observed him with concern in her golden cat eyes. She was about to call him out until a duo of voices called from the background. "Everyone!" Sure enough, a small, young boy with deep green hair that resembled a mischievous, monkey-like quality to it and a tall youth whose stature rivaled that of a bear came running together to join everyone else, and they appeared quite apprehensive and overwhelmed in fright. "**Kiki**, **Gao**," Rai replied to them respectively. "Why are you both so anxious?" Rei lifted his head as if he felt a presence nearby, and as soon as he recognized it, he stood up and faced Kiki and Gao. "It, it, it's… _him_!" Kiki cried.

"He's… back!" Gao added.

"Who's back?" Mao wondered.

Rei silently staggered toward the direction where Kiki and Gao just came from, his arms trembling anxiously. Sure enough, a lone figure was spotted marching along a trail guarded by several trees. His sleek black hair floating along with the wind, intimidating yellow pupils glowed from the silhouetted figure. Rei's eyes quickly shrunk with fear as the man's physique was recognizable to everyone. "Hey, isn't that…!" Boss gasped.

"Sensei," Rei murmured.

Indeed, the one who approached them was Ou Shishin, otherwise known as Captain Blackleo!

All Beybladers quickly stood up and confronted Blackleo alongside the stunned Rei. Blackleo stopped shortly eight feet in front of them. "I have to say, you all look pathetic," he said. "But, that's to be expected from your previous encounter with Shiroryuu."

"What did you say!" Max shot back.

"What are you doing here anyway, traitor?" Boss exclaimed.

"'Traitor?' Why, Banken, I'm doing just as we promised we would: the destruction of all Holy Beasts. That's why I'm here. I've come to eliminate the only threat to Voltaire and Shiroryuu's ambition."

"Only threat?" Rei thought. "Does that mean there's still a chance to make things right, after all?"

Blackleo held out a deep violet Beyblade with a sleek black weight disk and ruby red markings along its twin bladed attack ring. "All threats will be eliminated," he declared. "I swear on my **_King Galeon Aura_**."

"Sensei!" Mao cried. "Stop this, please! There's no need to fight like this!"

"There are no other options. This is my way. I have no regrets."

Max, Kai, Boss, Alex, and Kitsune all took a defiant stance, as if all five of them were ready to challenge Blackleo. But, Rei clenched both fists tightly, renewing his weakened resolve. "Everyone, leave this to me," he declared.

"What?" Blackleo replied in light surprise. "You're going to fight me _alone_?"

Mao, Gao, and Kiki were quick to respond to Rei's request. "No, you can't do that!" Mao cried. "There's no way you can beat Sensei!"

"Especially since you don't have Byakko anymore!" Kiki added.

"Please think it over, Rei!" Gao replied.

"I've already made up my mind," Rei said, closing his eyes. "It has to be this way. This is how it's gotta be."

"Let him go," Rai suddenly said.

Mao and the others turned toward Rai in shock. "But, Rai…!"

"This is what Rei wanted for a long time: a serious battle against Sensei. I've known about this for as long as I can remember. That's why we shouldn't interfere with him."

"Rai…" Rei smiled.

"Go, Rei! Show Sensei how much you've grown!"

"We're rooting for you like always, Rei!" Max called. "Good luck!"

"This is your chance to redeem yourself," Kai added with a small smile of his own. "Don't disappoint us."

"Your Beyblade is the only one on our team that hasn't been damaged, but you don't have your Holy Beast anymore," Kyouju said. "Even so, I believe in you!"

"Thanks, guys," Rei nodded.

Boss and his teammates quietly looked on as Rei turned back toward Blackleo, holding out his Driger Edge toward him. "I challenge you, Sensei! Give it all you got!"

Blackleo replied, "Very well. Just hope you don't end up regretting those words. Let's go!"

Rei roared the sky as he dramatically pulled both his Grip Shooter and his ripcord from behind his back before an elegant body counter-spin while loading the cord in it. Then, he threw out his hand before him, his Driger Edge in his palm, and briskly locked it into his shooter, creating a brief spark of lightning. Immediately, as he pulled his black ripcord and released his Beyblade, he roared, "GO! SHOOT!"

A lion's roar echoing in the background, Blackleo clashed his fists together, creating a brief spark of violet lightning. He threw one roundhouse kick and another in which had a long golden ripcord installed along his leg. With his leg still in mid-flight, Blackleo locked his King Galeon Aura onto his unorthodox launcher. Finally, he leapt up and spun around in midair, delivering a swift roundhouse kick that threw his launcher along the ripcord and fired King Galeon with a great burst of thunder! "GO! SHOOT!"

Driger Edge and King Galeon Aura flew across the sky, colliding in a great burst of energy as both Rei and Blackleo looked on before the light engulfed them…

**1111**

Underneath the thick grey clouds, 'Takao' stood patiently along with Dragoon Eclipse. Hiromi and Dreamer Excalibur stood put before them, waiting for the vile demon to attack. But, in an uncharacteristic fashion, Dragoon E continued to spin in one place. Slightly irritated, Hiromi scowled, "Well? Aren't you going to make a move?"

'Takao' grinned, "Let's play a little. Come on; try moving me from this spot."

Hiromi clenched her teeth as she tightened her right fist. "He's still not taking me seriously," she thought. "But, even though Dragoon Eclipse is still right now, it's still exuding some intense power. It should be alright for me to attack _offensively_ for once while absorbing that power in the same time. I just have to be careful of any tricks he has up his sleeve. Either way, I can't afford to lose!"

"Fine, I'll play your game!" Hiromi cried out-loud. "Attack, Dreamer Excalibur!"

Quickly, Dreamer E dashed at the still Dragoon E with great speed.

Absorbing a little of the power of Dragoon E's wide and dark aura, Dreamer E faintly glowed with energy. "Go!" Hiromi cried. Ready to deliver a firm strike, Dreamer lunged at Dragoon. But, just before it was even three inches away from the white blade, Dreamer suddenly bounced off of a light green barrier that was invisible until impact! Hiromi was surprised while 'Takao' wore a mischievous, devilish grin. Immediately, a great wall of flames emerged from underneath Dragoon and raged above Dreamer like a wave of water! The magenta-colored Beyblade quickly retreated before the flames splashed over the ground. Hiromi leapt backward before the scattered patches of fiery grass blazed under her feet. After her blade came back to her, she stared in wonder at 'Takao' standing on the other side of the flames with that same grin. "Tch! Try again!" she cried. Dreamer E flew at its adversary once more, extinguishing the flames along the ground in its path. It came at Dragoon E, but like before, it just bounced off its tough barrier. Hiromi gave a prolonged battle cry, making her Beyblade to continuously strike Dragoon at every possible angle. But, with each attack, it couldn't break through the barrier. Soon enough, more flames appeared from underneath the white blade to attack Dreamer once again. Dreamer backed away and took the fiery comet at full force, easily absorbing it. "That's it! Now, counterattack!" Hiromi ordered. Dreamer, now energized with fiery power, clashed against the barrier once again while not immediately thrown away like before. But suddenly, the barrier still wouldn't break, much to Hiromi's surprise, and the flame power Dreamer absorbed quickly left it. Furthermore, the barrier suddenly exploded into a giant whirlwind, catching Dreamer E and throwing it high into the air!

The wind soon disappeared around Dragoon E, as soon as Dreamer E landed hard on the ground in front of a bewildered Hiromi. "My attacks aren't working at all now," she thought. "My blade can't even much less _touch_ his anymore."

"To think he's mastered the four Holy Beasts' collective power so quickly," a familiar voice replied.

Hiromi looked over her shoulder and spotted none other than Nanami! "Nanami!" she gasped. "You came after me?"

"That barrier around his Beyblade appears to draw its power from Genbu," Nanami explained. "It works as a strong defense in junction with Suzaku's flames as a long-range counterassault, as well as Shiroryuu's trademark wind power as short-range. Finally, when his blade goes on the offensive, he uses Byakko's power to add onto its normal attack. He's managed to use all four Holy Beasts in an effective style of combat."

"So, that's it," Hiromi nodded.

"Now that you know that much, what will you do next?" 'Takao' suddenly called out, surprising Hiromi. "Don't disappoint me now. Fight me. Fight me! FIGHT ME!"

After that maniacal cry, Dragoon E quickly dashed after Dreamer and struck it hard, throwing several emerald blades containing Byakko's power through it. Hiromi cried out in pain as the blades rushed through her as well. Briefly stunned, Hiromi fell to her knees. She looked up as 'Takao' came after her once again, her eyes shaking apprehensively…

**1111**

Daichi roared as his Gaia Dragoon Earth speedily burned through the ground at the dormant Sylph Ascension. But, Reena swung her enormous axe before her once, sending a giant burst of wind against the incoming blade. Daichi tried had to guard against it, but eventually both he and his blade were sent flying high in the air. Reena and Sylph A both ran together and leapt into the wind, instantly disappearing. Meanwhile, Daichi and Gaia Dragoon E had just recovered from the counterattack and began to fall back down to the ground. But, Sylph A suddenly reappeared next to the violet blade and struck it hard back in the air! Daichi wielded his small axe Bey Launcher and managed to guard against the back swing of Reena's axe. He was thrown higher in the air as a result, but he quickly somersaulted over Reena and swung down at her. Gaia Dragoon E flew back down as a mirror of its partner's actions and struck Sylph A hard over its Bit Chip. But, Reena's blade rode the wind back in the air and struck Gaia Dragoon once again. Daichi quickly went on the defensive, and Gaia Dragoon E responded by guarding against each of Sylph's constant attack from all angles of the sky. It dealt with three consecutive blows until it finally managed to dodge one strike after another. Reena spun around with a wide-ranged swing of her axe, but as Daichi fell back down to the ground, he flipped backward and completely ducked under it! She clenched her teeth and fell back on the ground following Daichi. Unrelentingly, Sylph A attacked while Gaia Dragoon E went back and dodging the attacks at every turn. Finally, the two blades grinded each one another as Daichi caught the blade of Reena's axe underneath his. The two forces were momentarily caught in a stalemate.

**1111**

Driger Edge drilled as hard as it could against King Galeon Aura, but the black blade didn't budge an inch. Rei clenched his fists anxiously as Blackleo stood there patiently with his arms crossed. Rei unleashed a great cry, and in response, Driger E attacked once again. King Galeon A flew backward as it continuously evaded each of the white blade's accurate slashes directed at it. As Rei threw a swift barrage of fists at him, Blackleo gracefully backed away while swaying to the appropriate direction to dodge every move. Then, when Rei threw one last punch, Blackleo lifted up his right leg to block it! Mirroring this display, King Galeon caught Driger's forward lunge and drilled over it hard to shove it back with ease. Rei staggered backward and knelt down to regain his bearings. However, Blackleo quickly sprinted after him and delivered a flying roundhouse kick at him! Driger E recovered just in time to dash to the right to dodge the strike, and King Galeon A quickly chased after it. Rei skidded across the ground for a quick change in direction, and he roared as he and his respective Beyblade clashed with their incoming opponents, disappearing once more in a brilliance flash of light!

As the light quickly dissipated, Rei clenched his teeth as he saw that the powerful fist he threw had connected with Blackleo's chest… yet his master hadn't flinched in the least. Respectively, Driger E's attack had once against been no use against King Galeon A's apparent defensive capabilities. Briefly stunned, Rei roared once again and pulled his fist away. Driger E momentarily flared up with power and delivered consecutive blows against King Galeon like several swift bolts of lightning, steadily and miraculously pushing it back! Blackleo's glare suddenly intensified, allowing his Beyblade to raise its power enough to deflect Driger's incoming blow. "Whoa," he said flatly. "It appears that you're capable to this level of strength without your Holy Beast." Blackleo delivered one, hard upward kick that sent both Rei and Driger E up into the air. Rei was visibly stunned from this counterattack, completely helpless for the captain's next strike. Blackleo somersaulted in midair and swung down with a swift axe kick. Thunder rumbled in the background as a spark of lightning struck past Driger E and sent both it and Rei flying straight into the ground, exploding in a large cloud of debris upon impact!

Blackleo and his Beyblade fell back down to earth with grace and confronted the deep brown smoke that spread far amongst the air. Meanwhile, at the sidelines, everyone else watched attentively at this seemingly one-sided struggle. "Rei," Mao whispered, clasping her hands anxiously.

"Blackleo isn't using his Holy Beast's power, yet Rei is having so much trouble!" Max observed.

"I noticed something else, too," Kyouju added. "Blackleo isn't using his hands, either."

"That's right," Rai nodded. "That's his style of combat. He mostly uses his legs to fight rather than using his hands. It would take a lot to force him into using _them_, though."

"That's for sure," Banken agreed. "And it looks like Rei might not make it that far."

Kai's terse sight was unwavering from the clouds of debris, patiently waiting for the next arch of the duel.

As the translucent dirt began to clear up, a silhouetted figure was slowly emerging from it. Blackleo kept a steady look in his eyes as Rei reappeared before him, his Beyblade still spinning. His intense golden eyes focused and determined, Rei took one step and immediately disappeared from view! Blackleo's eyes slightly widened and barely noticed a gleam of light from his left. Driger E suddenly reappeared at King Galeon A's side and delivered a firm strike against its defense, a faint shockwave bursting from impact. In comparison, Blackleo luckily guarded against Rei's punch by lifting up his left leg. "So, you're serious now," he murmured. Immediately, he disappeared from Rei's sight, but Rei quickly leapt in midair to evade his slide kick that would've knocked him off-balance. Shortly, they both disappeared simultaneously. Driger E briefly reappeared running across the ground just before King Galeon A did. Without hesitation, Driger darted after its opponent, but King Galeon quickly disappeared again before they connected. Afterwards, the white blade disappeared just before the black blade reappeared above it and hammered down into the ground, sending up more debris in the air. The two Beyblades rematerialized in front of each other and clashed hard against one another before they both vanished once again. To everyone else, neither the Beyblades nor their respective Bladers were visible. Only constant shockwaves at random spots of the battlefield reverberated past them like strong gusts of wind. "That's incredible!" Max exclaimed. "I can barely see them at all!"

"It's truly amazing!" Alex agreed.

"The speed of those two is really something to behold," Kyouju observed. "That level of swiftness shouldn't be possible for _any_ Beyblade."

All of a sudden, the two blades reappeared upon contact and shoved each other backward. They briefly staggered from the disorienting clash and stood still to recollect themselves. Behind Driger E, Rei stood firmly, quietly panting and catching his breath. Beside King Galeon A, Blackleo remained standing tall as a mountain with not one sign of fatigue over his face. However, he looked slightly bewildered from the recent clash. "Incredible," he thought. "I never thought he could muster this much power by himself." For a moment, the fists he held behind his back tightened anxiously before he restored a calm exterior. "I might have to borrow a portion of your power after all, **King**." Rei remained strong and true in his stance, prepared for the next phase of the duel.

**1111**

Standing over the tip of a slab of stone protruding from the ground, Daichi stood as he was catching his breath. Before him, as faint gusts of wind flew past her pink hair, Reena held her enormous axe over her shoulder. "Not good enough, Daichi," she said. "I want to fight you at your best." Sylph Ascension and Gaia Dragoon Earth spun in place, both patiently waiting for their next moment of attack. Daichi took his right fist into his left palm, cracking his knuckles with resolve. "I _am_ serious," he stated. "You'll just have to come at me harder." Reena frowned in annoyance and tightened her grip over her axe. All of a sudden, she had lost sight of Daichi; he had disappeared!

Reena gasped and looked up to find Daichi flying at her, his small axe held high over his head. Gaia Dragoon E plummeted toward the ground where Sylph A stood and crashed into it, just in front of the opposing blade to throw it back. Sylph slid backward as it recovered its balance, but Gaia Dragoon had quickly caught up with it and drilled past it, barely missing it completely. Gaia Dragoon relentlessly came after Sylph with each thrust after another. Sylph had gracefully danced around each attack, but the deep violet blade had been playing its game and caught Sylph where it went every time it dodged, keeping it from countering its attacks. While Gaia Dragoon may be barely missing it, Sylph was trapped in the defensive position. Finally, reacting from Daichi's loud cry, Gaia Dragoon struck Sylph from the side, pushing it back through the ground. Reena guarded against the force of the blow with her axe. After seeing her chance, she spun her axe around to pull the energy along with her to take control. After one full circle, Sylph A had thrown Gaia Dragoon E away, breaking free from Daichi's assault. The red-haired youth was thrown back, but he flipped backward to land back on his feet after recovery. In an instant, Reena appeared right next to him and swung her sharp blade around toward his back. But, to her surprise, Daichi had somersaulted once more and landed on the flat surface of the blade. Gaia Dragoon E quickly retaliated and came at Reena at full speed. Reena pulled her head back just in time to evade the golden crescent form of Gaia Dragoon but not without having a few strands of her hair trimmed off. The young girl glided along the air and somersaulted back to the surface to recover some ground between the two Bladers.

Reena took quick breathes to herself as Daichi took a moment to swipe the sweat over his forehead off with his arm. "That was too close," Reena said to herself. "I guess he really _is_ getting serious." At her perspective, Daichi glowed with intense golden energy raging from his whole body. The pressure from this great force spread out as far as to make Reena stagger momentarily. She stood upright against Daichi's aura and held her axe at her side, preparing for her next move.

Nearby, as Reena and Daichi opposed each other from a distance, the girl, Luna, stood by a tree and observed the battle in awe. "Incredible," she thought. "And this isn't even half of _his_ power yet. Could he really be…?"

"Here I come!" Daichi roared.

Gaia Dragoon exploded with power and ran at Sylph in a moderate pace of speed. Reena cried and directed her Beyblade to go on the attack as well. The two blades eventually met collision, erupting in a great burst of light! Sylph A was sent flying back a decent number of inches, wobbling briefly from the impact. "Heavy!" Reena clenched her teeth. Before she had time to think, Gaia Dragoon smashed over her blade, small pieces of her blade instantly chipping off! With two following strikes, Sylph had lost even more bits of armor it had. Daichi and his Beyblade flew at the weary white blade with all their might, but just before they made contact, the other blade had disappeared. Daichi skidded across the dirt until he came to a halt and gasped as soon as he noticed several images of Sylph A right above him! Ten to twenty blades ensnared Gaia Dragoon in its restrictive circle, each of them overlapping the violet blade in incredible speed while the real one hidden amongst them slashed by it. After ever nimble and accurate strike, Sylph's Windy Field attack was sending Gaia Dragoon back and forth in random, sudden directions, wearing it down and throwing it off balance. Daichi's eyes glared ferociously as his voice echoed in the background. "You won't trap me that easily!"

With his Holy Beast, Kouryuu, behind him, Daichi roared as a large golden aura erupted around him, raising several rocks from the ground and to the sky. Then, he leapt into the air using his Gaia Dragoon as his wings while his power transferred into one spot, his right fist. "_Earth Quake!_" Then, he quickly landed on the ground and ran his fist into the ground the moment Gaia Dragoon Earth impacted the ground, creating a large quake oriented of pure lightning and rock energy!

As the earth shattered underneath Gaia Dragoon and protected him like a barrier, Sylph A had crashed into a large stone slab and was thrown back, canceling out its attack. After landing back on the ground, Sylph stood still as Gaia Dragoon defiantly stood atop a rock pillar from the rubble it created.

Reena had let the blade of her axe to pierce the ground below her after she loosened her grip over it. "It's amazing," she thought. "How much power can he possibly have?"

"Are you ready to give up?" Daichi declared. "If not, then this next attack is the last."

Reena relinquished her grasp over her weapon and prepared for whatever her opponent had next. "It's like you said before," Daichi continued. "I have a dream… to become the world's number one Beyblader." Suddenly, Daichi's body glowed with an awesome, shimmering aura of gold, along with the dazzling Gaia Dragoon E. He roared loudly as a massive cylinder of stone of debris erupted behind him. And to both Reena and Luna's surprise, a gigantic figure had soon emerged at his side. Its claws impulsively slashed past the stones that surrounded it. A pair of two long wings spread out with majesty. Its long, sun-colored tail lashed back and forth anxiously. His mane white like ice, a giant, golden dragon roared to the heavens with a mighty cry for battle! "Behold!" Daichi exclaimed. "My partner, **Kouryuu**!"

The Holy Beast, Kouryuu, stood by Daichi in a complete, physical form. Reena scaled up the awesome beast with an overwhelmed stare. Meanwhile, Luna stayed behind the tree and focused onto the intimidating dragon pensively. "That's him," she thought. "Kouryuu, the Golden Dragon of the Earth. One Holy Beast thought to have never been seen in thousands of years. This is my first time I had ever seen him." His raging aura still around his body, Daichi pointed his axe Grip Launcher at Reena with an unwavering grin over his face. "Here we come, Reena! The two of us at full power!"

**1111**

Rei roared with all his might, a thunderous bolt of lightning sparking behind him. King Galeon Aura prepared for a full-on assault as Driger Edge came after it. With amazing, lightning paced speed, the two blades struck by each other at a high level of raw power. They smashed against each other, they spun past around one another to evade some of the strikes, they briefly linked together to dig hard past their defenses, and they repeated this power struggle all over again with no signs of tiring! The waves of energy had began to spread deep in the ground to form multiple craters, and the blustery forces made it harder for the spectators to hold their ground without being blown away. Suddenly, King Galeon guarded against one of Driger's clashes until it could no longer be pushed back. King Galeon quickly gained momentum and control as it violently grinds Driger back, making an unearthed straightaway in the process. Next, it managed to buck the white Beyblade in the air like a bull, setting it up for a follow up to its counterattack. Blackleo leapt in the air and performed a flying side kick with a mighty roar. King Galeon struck Driger hard in the middle of its structure, and the force of the blow sent Rei himself flying over the ground! The boy slid across the sandy surface on his back, heavily wounded from the attack. Regardless, he quickly recovered and somersaulted from the ground and slid over his hands and feet before he eventually came to a complete stop. Without a moment to rest, Driger E bolted right back after King Galeon A in an explosion of energy. "I'll fight you even when I have nothing left to give!" Rei cried. "ROAR, DRIGER!" For a short while, the fierce image of Byakko the White Tiger appeared alongside Rei and Driger E, catching Blackleo off-guard. In a nice, clean hit, Driger struck King Galeon hard enough to finally throw it back in midair! And Rei had delivered a strong right thrust into the side of Blackleo's face!

Blackleo staggered backward from the force of Rei's effective attack while King Galeon bounced twice over the ground before it regained its balance. Rei firmly let his fist down to his side, a confident smile forming on his face. Kyouju laughed with glee, "Wow! Rei's putting up more of a fight than I had imagined!"

"Maybe there's hope after all," Max grinned. "Even without his Holy Beast, he's one tough customer."

"Yeah. Maybe," Rai murmured, clenching his fists.

Kai and the remaining members of the Saint Generations A quietly watched, waiting for either side to make the next move.

Captain Blackleo took one step forward with a piercing gleam in his golden pupils. "Well, you certainly surprise me, Rei," he stated. "You've grown so much from our training, haven't you?" Rei continued standing firmly as Blackleo quietly chuckled to himself. "But, I have a debt to pay to Voltaire. To destroy the only thing that can stop Shiroryuu, I must use _any means necessary_." In an instant, an aura of violet-colored lightning burst around King Galeon A's structure, its constant sparks shooting out towards Driger E as it spun still in stationary. Blackleo's black mane fluttered with the winds as a similar aura raged along his legs. Rai, Mao, Gao, and Kiki all gasped as soon as they recognized what was happening. "That's Sensei's…!" Rei clenched his teeth once he also recognized this incoming attack, inadvertently taking one step back. Then, all of a sudden, he had bumped into Blackleo who was standing right behind him! Without as much as a warning, King Galeon had appeared behind Driger, soundlessly and motionlessly. Rei stood still, his eyes shaken with shock, and the wrap around his hair suddenly broke open to release his massive, jet black mane. Blackleo shut his eyes and calmly whispered, "**_Hissatsu-Ougi, Aura Indignation_**." A stream of lightning roared straight through Rei's chest while several hundreds of thunder bolts rained down over him and his Beyblade at one spot! Amongst the thunderous explosions around him, light in Rei's eyes vanished as he fell to his knees and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious and his body shredded with blood red scars.

Kai, Max, and Kyouju were visibly stolen of their voices, as they stared silently at the aftermath of Blackleo's final move. Kitsune shut her eyes and sighed despairingly. "He used _that_ attack," she said. "And this happened only using a fourth of its potential damage. He wasn't the strongest Beyblader on our team for nothing."

"Speed and power at its finest," Banken added, his right eye twitching. "I've seen him use this attack plenty of times and it _still_ catches me by surprise."

"Rei," Max quietly murmured, unable to completely register what had just happened.

Amongst the debris, Rei continued lying over the ground as Rai and the others watched in horror for their fallen friend. "REI!"

**1111**

Dreamer Excalibur desperately dashed at Dragoon Eclipse with all its might. Dragoon reacted to its charge and leapt into the air. Dreamer slid to a complete stop and flew after it. It easily caught up, but its attack was no use against Dragoon's barrier as it was unable to penetrate it. Hiromi gasped as a strong gust of wind ensnared Dreamer and trapped it in the fast rotation of a whirlwind. Unable to escape, Dreamer E was defenseless against Dragoon E as it rammed into it in the form of a crimson fireball. Blades of fire blew against Hiromi's body as she staggered backward, unable to balance herself. 'Takao' grinned sadistically and flew after her in great speed. As soon as he got close enough, Dragoon E pierced through Dreamer E as several emerald crescent blades slashed over its weakened structure. Severely wounded with several cuts along her body, Hiromi was thrown completely off her feet and fell hard on the ground. Her blade was still spinning, but it was steadily losing its balance and its spin rotation.

Hiromi weakly willed herself to sit up, wearily panting to herself. 'Takao' was standing behind her with a rather unmotivated grimace over his face. "Is this as far as you go? How boring. Don't you have any other tricks beside that absorption ability of yours?" Nanami watched the battle with a grave, anxious visage, tightening the grip over her Beyblade. "He has already figured out how her absorption ability works," she thought. "Its weakness is _defense_. By using Genbu's barrier to throw Dreamer Excalibur off its momentum, Hiromi is momentarily wide open for any attack she won't be able to absorb before she recovers. She won't be able to attack effectively like this."

"Hiromi, back away!" Nanami cried out-loud. "You can't win like this! Let me fight in your place!"

Hiromi finally got back on her feet and faced 'Takao,' her head hanging down in exhaustion. She focused her eyes onto her opponent with unwavering determination. "No way," she protested. "I'm… not giving up."

"Hmph. And what else can you do?" 'Takao' taunted.

After he said that, 'Takao' quickly flew like a bullet past a bewildered Hiromi. The aftershock of his swift attack internally struck her, her sclera briefly blanking out with no pupils. Once again, she fell back on the ground as 'Takao' hovered back down on the ground. He looked over his shoulder and scoffed arrogantly at his fallen, former teammate. "You're far too weak."

"Hiromi, don't continue!" Nanami cried from the sidelines. "Let me fight in your place; there's nothing left you can do now!"

Miraculously, Hiromi turned over from her back and tried hard to rise back on her feet with her hands and knees. Ignoring her shivering legs with tenacious willpower, she stood up once again. "I… can't…" she managed to say through her hastened breathing. "I swore… I would… get him back…" All of a sudden, Dragoon E committed to a wild dash after Dreamer E, grinding hard to shove it back into the base of a nearby building. Hiromi was also thrown against the wall, briefly stunned. She looked back up and gasped once she had noticed the enormous white dragon himself flying right at her! His bloodthirsty fangs bored, Shiroryuu lunged at her with the intention of eating her! Literally fighting for her life, Hiromi desperately pushed against his gigantic jaws her hands and feet, but with her against the wall, she was completely trapped and gradually overpowered. In comparison, her Dreamer Excalibur was pinned against the wall by Dragoon Eclipse, its spin rate slowly dying along with what was left of Hiromi's own life.

Hiromi shut her eyes and desperately tried to shove Shiroryuu back, but with her own strength at the limit, she couldn't get free. Panicked, Nanami cried, "He's trying to kill you! Hold on; I'll save you!"

"Stay back!" Hiromi cried back.

"Now's not to time to act so rashly! You'll die, don't you understand! You'll DIE!"

"I said, stay back!"

Hiromi opened her eyes to look past Shiroryuu to find 'Takao' patiently standing put by him, smiling voraciously. Her eyes focused long and hard onto him, searching past his villainous exterior to find something more. "Takao…"

…_Takao's eyes widened as his soul suddenly ignited. "Well, forget it!"_

"_Hm?" Banken wondered._

"_Seiryuu has always been there for me ever since I accidentally broke his seal on my family's sword! Together, we became World Champions for three years straight! The least I could do was to put him back in his seal so he could finally have a well-deserved rest after my retirement! There's no way I'm gonna let you take his life!"_

"_People like that man will eventually find out that you have a Holy Beast once they research the BBA files of every Beyblader who participated in the championships," Banken protested. "It's better to destroy them now before they ruin any more lives."_

"_What about **your** Holy Beast? Will you destroy him as well? He's your partner!"_

"_That's not even a question. Once I rid the world of all Holy Beasts, I will destroy my Absolute Kerberous without any regret."_

_Hiromi and Kyouju gasped in disbelief. "I can't believe you just said that!" Kyouju exclaimed._

"_You would really throw away your own Holy Beast's life so needlessly like that!" Hiromi added._

"_That's the plan," Boss nodded._

"_Then, I've clearly overestimated you," Takao said. "If you would discard something as precious as your partner, then you're not the great Beyblader I thought you were. I would NEVER give up my title as World Champ to someone as heartless as you!"_

_After hearing those words, Hiromi smiled at Takao in relief…_

…Hiromi continued to struggle against Shiroryuu's savage onslaught, the ferocious light of her resolve steadily returning to her eyes. "He had just returned to his old self again," she said. "I don't want to lose him again. Especially after…" Hiromi's Holy Beast, Ikkakujuu, suddenly appeared at her side, pressing her horn against Shiroryuu's snout...

…_Underneath the quiet moonlight, Hiromi was sitting silently on the boardwalk, watching her Dreamer Excalibur spinning around the red Beystadium. "So close…" she murmured. As the red blade continued spinning, a familiar silver blade was thrown in and playfully hit its side. Hiromi was briefly startled and looked up to find Takao walking to her. "I really think you earned a place in the Infinitia Revolutions E."_

"_Are you serious?" Hiromi gasped._

"_You wanted to get my attention, right?" Takao winked. "You always had it, ya know."_

_As the two blades tailed each other around and around the stadium, the white dragon and the white unicorn both soared into the magnificent stars of the night sky. As the two shooting stars crossed over the dojo deep in romantic space, Takao and Hiromi both stared up to the sky in quiet solitude…_

…Nanami was amazed to find that Dreamer Excalibur was steadily beginning to push Dragoon Eclipse back. Hiromi and Ikkakujuu pushed hard against Shiroryuu together, effectively shoving Shiroryuu away from them. "I'm not gonna lose him to evil. No matter what I have to do, I'm gonna bring Takao back to us… to _me_." 'Takao' was visibly stunned at his opponent's growing adrenaline. Again and again, Dreamer pushed hard against Dragoon with nothing but its own, newfound power. "No matter what… I'll get him back!" she cried. "TAKAO!" Finally, Dreamer landed a clean smash attack over Dragoon, throwing it backward. And Ikkakujuu took over for Hiromi and rammed Shiroryuu's snout away from her! "Impossible!" 'Takao' gasped.

Nanami was at a loss for words, thinking, "Hiromi… actually did it!"

**1111**

A pair of golden eyes reopened and pierced through the darkness around them.

_I… can't afford to lose!_

Captain Blackleo stood with wide eyes as he beheld Rei slowly rising back on his feet. The clothing along his upper body ripped apart to expose his bare chest, the long-haired Beyblader stood tall while his Driger Edge continued to spin. "Rei!" Mao happily exclaimed.

"Unbelievable!" Kiki laughed. "He's still in this!"

"Rei… there's still hope," Rai thought, nodding affirmatively.

Blackleo's fists tightened and began to shiver with impatience. "That boy… actually withstood my killer attack at half strength?" Rei clenched his teeth and dug his feet deep in the ground, roaring high to the skies. Driger E's velocity hastened dramatically, and a hint of lightning-like energy began to spark from it. All of a sudden, it had disappeared, catching Blackleo off-guard. Before he knew it, a great burst of power clashed against the stationary King Galeon A, sending it off its tip and bouncing backward over the ground. But, Driger E had materialized right behind it, spiking hard into the air! "Driger Edge's speed… is growing!" Kyouju observed.

"And power is returning to the blade with each hit!" Max added.

"Keep it up," Kai nodded.

Rei roared once again as he shot a straight fist after the stunned Blackleo. The soldier cried out in pain as a claw-like image slashed over his person. King Galeon had been struck hard in midair once Driger appeared behind it once again. Emerald blades pierced through its shattered guard once the fourth blow connected. And Driger E reformed at the side and swung by the staggered dark Beyblade to send it flying in the air yet again. Banken and Kitsune were both in awe of Rei's adrenalized counterassault. "He managed to link five attacks!" Banken exclaimed.

"This strength I'm feeling from him…" Kitsune murmured.

Rei had finally took a moment to rest from his five-hit combo as Blackleo recovered and fell back to the ground feet first, nearly collapsing over one knee. "How can this…!" he growled. Quickly pulled away from his thoughts, he looked up to find Rei charging at him once more!

Thunder struck down behind the thoughtful Rei as he revealed a shade of calmness and innocence in his eyes. He flew back in a dark space and the golden aura that surrounded him burst into a mandala of nine ferocious beams of light! "_**Nine Life Edge**!_" The nine beams were directed by one great right punch and Rei's awesome cry. The eight afterimages all struck King Galeon A at one spot while its corresponding eight beams struck Blackleo in eight different spots of his body. The White Tiger of Gold, Byakko, quickly flew at him in the form of the ninth beam and struck him hard on his forehead! The power of the attack sent Blackleo's body flying back into the trees behind him, instantly felling the trees in an explosive swoop!

Rei knelt down over his right knee, panting wearily while his Driger Edge faintly wobbled underneath him. Alex took one deep gulp and said in his English tongue, "UNBELIEVABLE."

"He managed to use that attack… without his Holy Beast," Max murmured before shaking his head. "No. I could swear that I felt it…"

"Yes," Kai nodded. "With each attack, Byakko's presence grew stronger. Even when they're apart, Rei and his Holy Beast still battle together."

"Even when they're apart…" Banken repeated with a thoughtful expression.

Rei regained his bearings and stood up once more while he dug his feet deep in the ground for secure leverage. He watched as a silhouetted figure slowly emerged from the fallen trees. It turned out to be the large, growling of a lion. He had a dark violet pelt and a thick white mane that grew back along his back. Heavy grey gauntlets were attached to each of his four legs, and a golden mantle sat on the crown of his head. Blackleo reappeared standing by this mystical beast, their respective pair of eyes both shining in an intense shade of gold. "You should be honored, Rei," Blackleo growled. "With this last attack, **King** and I will go _all-out_." With that, Blackleo took his arms out from his back and held them to his sides with anxious fists. Rai, Mao, Gao, and Kiki collectively gasped once they had ascertained their master's last resort.

"Sensei… is gonna use his hands!"

**1111**

Ikkakujuu neighed high to the dark skies as bright, starry energy exuded from Dreamer Excalibur. Nanami beheld Hiromi's restored stance, visibly impressed. "Power… is flowing from Dreamer Excalibur. Power… _all its own_." The growing, forceful gusts of wind blew by 'Takao' as he stood in disbelief. "This can't be!" he thought. "I thought she had to _absorb_ her opponent's powers before an attack! So, where is _this_ coming from!" Rings of power dazzled around Hiromi's figure as she held one fist to her heart. Ikkakujuu rose her enormous wings and flapped them, disappearing right at that moment! Before 'Takao' noticed, Dreamer E flew by in incredulous speed, breaking the structure of the ground it flew over. Miraculously, it finally pierced through Dragoon Eclipse's barrier and landed a clean, hard hit at its base! The shockwave of Dreamer's charge caught up and enveloped the two blades in a great cloud of debris. Nanami had just reacted to the attack after one blink of the eye and quickly looked up to find 'Takao' thrown high in the air from the blow. "Its speed increased as well, as much that it could break past Genbu's defense!" Riding over Ikkakujuu's back, Hiromi soared high in the sky after the stunned 'Takao' with swift grace. "I'll wake you up, Takao," she whispered, "…through what you love the most." Before Dragoon could recover, Dreamer swiped past it and sent it flying back down to the ground. Once it had bounced off the earth once, Dreamer suddenly appeared right by it and rammed it hard to its right. The silver blade tried hard to come to a stop to regain its bearings, but once it nearly grasped control, Hiromi's Beyblade reappeared by it and attacked once again! In an unrelenting assault, Dreamer E pounded Dragoon E back and forth, left to right, and over and over like a raging, stormy rain! 'Takao' spun around, wailing in pain as hundreds of shooting stars landed at all sides of his body. Nanami watched this awesome display and made a clearer observation. "Hiromi's attacks get stronger with each blow she makes. That's because now her absorption ability is working again but in a different way. She's actually made her _attack_ absorb his power instead of absorbing the direct attack of her _opponent_. Then, once junctioned with her _own_ attack power, the damage Dragoon Eclipse is receiving is greater. Hiromi… how far have you've grown since I trained you?"

As the assault kept going, small bits of Dragoon E's armor began to break off from impact. "She's…" 'Takao' gasped, "…shattering the Beyblade."

"If I destroy your Beyblade, the link between you and your Holy Beast…" Hiromi thought.

Again, Hiromi's adrenaline empowered Dreamer E until it completely burst into a giant ball of mystical flame. "…You'll come back to your senses!" Hiromi and Ikkakujuu flew after the weakened 'Takao' and Shiroryuu encased in an aura of shimmering fire, their eyes calm, concentrated, and fiery as the execution of their final attack. "**_Hissatsu-Ougi, Comet Excalibur_**." Suddenly, a sly chuckle escaped Shiroryuu's breath. "If you _do_ destroy the Beyblade…" Hiromi's eyes widened in shock. But, at that moment, Dreamer E's ultimate attack struck hard into Dragoon E, the two of them disappearing in the light that flashed bright at the moment of impact…

**1111**

Rei and Blackleo tersely faced each other, their sights locked and their fists hard and tight. Together, they roared and sent their respective blades at one another for one last clash. Driger Edge had split in nine images of itself, resembling its Nine Life Edge attack. Blackleo's eyes sparked with anticipation. "Weak!" King Galeon Aura clashed head-on with Driger's attack, taking the full force of the nine strikes without budging! Everyone at the sidelines were in awe that Blackleo was actually withstanding Rei's best attack. Blackleo clenched his fangs, standing firm against the nine beams piercing through his body. Rei's fist violently shook as he tried hard to force his attack more onto him. But, the strong BeySoldier waved his arms out with a great roar, allowing King Galeon to repel Driger's attack completely, leaving Driger wide open! "No way!" Max gasped. "He defeated Rei's attack just by letting it hit him!"

"Now's my chance!" Blackleo thought decisively.

Blackleo held his right fist above his head as he summoned a white, sparkling aura to surround his whole body. King Galeon roared with awesome, lightning energy, heading toward Driger in what appeared to be a finishing blow. Banken observed the move carefully and stated, "That's… Sensei's **King Lightning** attack at full power!"

"It's over," Kitsune replied gravely.

Time had slowed down at this critical moment, the moment where Blackleo and King Galeon who strike Rei and Driger down for good.

Suddenly, Blackleo had lost balance in his right foot, surprising him. It was then that he noticed a peculiar force in between King Galeon and Driger, a force that was pulling his Beyblade's power as well as the Beyblade itself inside. Furthermore, Rei had continued to charge after him, even though his attack was deflected. "What?" Blackleo thought. "Am I being pulled in?" After a more careful observation, he noticed that while all nine images of Driger had been deflected that they instead somersaulted right over King Galeon. Once he found something else, he instantly reached a conclusion. "Yes. This force between us is sucking me in like a vacuum. It must've been created by displacing the air around us when I deflected Rei's attack. Those nine beams is spreading over me to expand the air and trap me in this space. And then…!" To Blackleo's surprise, while his King Galeon A was sucked in the distorted air, a _tenth_ beam of light was charging right at it! "I see now!" Kyouju explained. "Rei increased the speed of his attack at the last second! Then, when Blackleo deflected it and by using the air around them, he'll be able to land a much more powerful, hidden rebound faster than his counterattack! It's the element of surprise a tiger's known for!" Just as Kyouju said, the tenth beam, the real Driger Edge, struck King Galeon with all its might. And Rei had completely spun his body around to deliver a swift high kick that connected underneath Blackleo's chin! The tremendous force sent Blackleo flying high in the air, his eyes vanishing from his sclera. Rei slowly fell back on his laurels after the final move. He murmured quietly, "**_Hissatsu-Ougi_**… **_Second Edge_**." After time had sped back up, Blackleo's unconscious body fell hard in the ground! While he had vanished in the thick clouds of debris, his King Galeon A was halfway buried in the surface before him, still and motionless. Rei had won.

Rei fell on his knees after Driger E finally stopped spinning, completely exhausted from his Beybattle. Then, he heard a voice call after him. "You have truly grown strong, stronger than I had anticipated." He looked up to discover Blackleo emerging from the clouds of dust and holding his numb right arm as he approached him. After a few steps, he collapsed over his left knee, wincing in sharp pain. But, he ignored it and smiled with satisfaction towards Rei. "But, I had hoped… that you would be the one to defeat me one day."

"What does _that_ mean?" a voice called behind him.

Blackleo looked over his shoulder to find his team, along with Max, Rai, and the others. Banken crossed his arms and looked down at him with a forced grin. "Don't tell me you did all this… to _train_ Rei?"

"Well, if neither one of you could beat me, how could you hope to defeat Shiroryuu?" Blackleo bluntly answered.

Immediately, Banken punched him hard over the head, leaving a huge bump at the back of it! "You idiot! That excuse won't work _this_ time!"

"You fool. Honestly," Kitsune sighed in exasperation.

"Hey, stop that! He's hurt!" Rai scowled.

"What's done is done, right?" Mao shrugged optimistically.

Mao walked over to Rei and helped him rise to his feet. He smiled toward her and gratefully said, "Thanks, Mao."

"That was a great Beybattle, Rei," Mao blushed.

"It's true, buddy!" Max nodded. "You were so awesome!"

"Even though he was stolen from you, Byakko was still with you the whole time!" Kyouju added.

"It's all the same for Max and me," Kai replied. "I'd say it's a learning experience for all of us."

Blackleo rose to his feet and rubbed over his bruised head with crocodile tears in his eyes. "It's as they say," he grinned down at Banken.

Banken scoffed, "Yeah, sure. Anyway, _Blackleo_…"

"Captain Blackleo had vanished the moment Rei defeated him. It's **Ou Shishin**; remember that name."

"Right," Alex nodded cheerfully. "So, Shishin-sensei, how about you tell us why you came after us?"

"Yeah!" Banken agreed forcefully. "You said that we had something that can defeat Shiroryuu even as he is now. What are you talking about?"

Shishin sternly replied, "Do you feel something in the air right now?"

Everyone was silent for a brief moment. Then, after a few seconds, all but Shishin gasped once they had felt a powerful force in the air! "This power I'm feeling…!" Max gulped.

"Is that…?" Kai murmured.

"Yes…" Shishin nodded affirmatively.

**1111**

Daichi raised his small axe over his head, the tip of its blade gleaming with power. "**_Hissatsu-Ougi! Earth Cleaver!_**" As he took his small axe and chopped down in the ground, a sparking, wave of lava gushed from the ground and along the massive fault that spread long and far at Sylph A. Kouryuu's roar echoed in the background as Gaia Dragoon Earth led the shattering fault line at the opposing Beyblade. Reena watched in still shock of the incoming attack, losing her grip over her axe. Sylph disappeared in the rising stone pillars, and Gaia Dragoon left behind a giant canyon-like scar in the earth.

At the climax of the battle, Luna was speechless as she beheld that last attack. "Amazing," she murmured quietly. As Sylph Ascension rested motionlessly along the stone spears that protruded from the ground, Reena lied on her back in defeat with a satisfied grin over her face. "Didn't even get to use my best move," she giggled.

"Next time then," a voice called to her.

Reena looked up and found Daichi at her side, holding out his hand to her with a wide, spirited smile. "And for the record, I would never blame _you_." Reena's eyes dreamily glowed exuberantly, and she grasped Daichi's hand without hesitation.

_The fifth Holy Beast, Kouryuu, is the only one who can defeat Shiroryuu…_

**1111**

Hiromi stood unmoving from her position, all her spirit draining away by the second. She stared down at Dragoon Eclipse that was still spinning, the bottom of her lips trembling. "If I destroy that Beyblade…" Dragoon E rushed after Dreamer E, blustery energy swirling around it. 'Takao' roared, "Now… DIE!" 'Takao's' cry overlapping with his own, Shiroryuu released a loud, monstrous shriek as he swung the sharp blades of his right claw down at the frozen Hiromi…!

**1111**

_**NEXT TIME**_

_Daichi: Me? I'm supposed to be the one to defeat Takao? Well, I'm not sure if what everyone says is true. I know that I have a dream to become to World's Greatest Beyblader. To do that, I must defeat the best! Here I come, Takao! It's time to finish our Beybattle once and for all!_

_**Dragoon Succession**_


End file.
